From You
by SAga4000
Summary: Tifa, having been left alone as Cloud sets off again, promising her to come and visit whenever he can. Now she stays waiting in Edge-City while having to raise Denzel, Marlene, and their six-year-old son Solas, as she waits for him with an never-ending smile on her face. *Chapters I-VII re-edited and now complete*
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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><p>Rain droplets, no matter how anyone looked at it the sound of rain always had a calming effect. The sound of it dropping against the city streets, roof and window edges was a sort of lullaby to one particular little boy, the only child born to two former unknown heroes.<p>

It's raining outside, and the boy looked out from the second floor of his home, his knees squeezed the cushions near the windowsill as he watched the water trail down against the window, he eyed the water like any child would eye a toy in a toy shop or a piece of candy.

To him the rain was no different, it was still fun to watch, and truth be told, it was the only thing that could him to sleep. It was much better much than his mother's lullaby. He shook at the thought, okay, nothing was better than his mother's lullabies.

**_Creeeeekkkk…_**

The light from doorway brightened part of the room. His mother sighed in disappointment as she stepped further into his room, but she didn't scold him like she used to instead she walked, her barefooted on the wooden floorboards toward the windowsill.

Then she sat down on a second cushion, the one beside her son's and stared out into the night sky. "I like the rain mom." Her young six-year-old smiled turning to her. "I know." She replied. The little boy rested his head on her pajama pants and looked at her before he begged, "Can I please stay up mom! _PLEASEEEE_!"

His mother, Tifa chuckled and answered, "Okay, only for fifteen minutes." Her son seemed happy with this and went back to watching the rain dripping down the window glass. Fifteen minutes passed by as it were only mere seconds, and Tifa finally told her son to go to bed.

The little boy sulked at first, however he did what he was told. Tifa trailed behind him as he walked over to his bed. She bent over to tuck him in.

"Mom."

"Yes Solas?" Tifa looked down as her son's eyes peered into her own. "Are you and dad okay?" He questioned. She was taken aback at that question there wasn't anything relatively wrong between her or Cloud, however he had been distancing himself again. _'It's nothing.' _She told herself. Tifa knew Cloud, so she was sure that it was nothing, in either way if he wasn't ready to tell her something then he wouldn't tell her, she knew that if she pushed him, it would most likely drive him away again. So it's best just to wait. "Yeah, everything is going to be fine between us, your dad will tell me when he's ready to." She assured him while pulling his blanket to his chin.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I'm sure." Tifa replied as she brushed her fingers through his brown hair. Solas smiled while he snuggled his blanket. Tifa slowly got up and walked out of the room, and stopped once she reached the doorway. "Don't try and sneak out of bed okay, because I'll know when you do." She warned him in a gentle manner. "Okay mom." He replied while suppressing a yawn. Tifa smiled before she finally closed the door to her son' s room.

* * *

><p>She walked down the small set stairs, and entered her room. Her eyes widen for a brief moment. Cloud was awake. Not only awake, but disconnected mentally. As if there was something troubling him.<p>

Suddenly something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Amidst their concrete bedroom floor was a bag, unzipped and stuffed with various items from a few sets of clothes to Materia. Tifa shook from the inside as she approached their bed and sat down on her end. "Cloud." She called him. He didn't sense her presence. She spoke his name again. He jolted slightly, now aware that Tifa was in the room.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. "Yeah." Cloud answered. "Why won't you tell me about it?" She asked. Cloud turned to her. Tifa pulled her knees up at stared at the foot of the bed, waiting for him to answer. "I'm going to head out again. I don't know how long I'll be gone this time." He admitted. Tifa slowly turned to him, her face written with shock. "What do you mean you don't know how long you'll be gone?" She added. Cloud slowly lowered the helm of his shirt

His skin had an uneven patch of pigmentation; a small grayish shade was invading his normal pale complexion. The gray went up from his shoulder to the side of this neck, covering the area where his jugular was. "Cloud––"

"It's called degradation. And there's no cure." Cloud interrupted to explain his condition. Tifa mouth hung open slightly as she turned away from him. It was like Geostigma all over again. She took a deep breath, and turned to Cloud. He looked back at her, knowing what she was thinking 'Is contagious or is it a genetic trait that their child will get?' Cloud wasn't so sure himself, but he hoped that Solas wouldn't develop it.

That's why he had to go…to seek answers, and he knew the first place he visit was Nibelheim. The former homeland that Sephiroth had destroyed, and later rebuilt by Shin-Ra as a cover up to eliminate the evidence that took place there.

"I don't know if this is transmittable, but I'll find out."

Tifa remained, seemingly unsatisfied with his answer. She should be, they were in the peak of their lives, and she had the family she never dared to dream of. Now things would be snatched away again. She had the right to be dissatisfied, but she wasn't. It wasn't his fault; if anyone was to blame it was she for not realizing this sooner. Maybe she hadn't completely repented her sins.

Her eyes widen bit by bit. She wasn't the only one being punished here. Cloud was too. That thought brought her back; she couldn't just surrender to her helplessness. No, her family needed her; Cloud needed her to be strong. And that's what she's going to do. She'll be strong for him, for their son Solas, Denzel and Marlene. It wouldn't be easy, but she knew that's her role as the matriarch.

Deep down, she also knew Cloud didn't want to leave them, but he had to. She wouldn't stop him from doing what he had to.

"Go." Her heart wrenched when those letters came out from her mouth, she said it again. "Go, but come back to us every now and again…and remember you'll always have a home here with us." She meant those words, his home was here now with her and their children. If he were ever in any trouble then she wanted him to know he could come back whenever he wanted to.

"I know, I won't be alone as long as have you all by my side." Cloud replied. She smiled.

_'That's right, you never will be Cloud.' _

* * *

><p>Sometime later after Cloud finished packing, he walked over to Solas' room. Tifa stood behind him; her hand lay on his shoulder as he looked down at their little boy. Cloud knelt beside his bedside and placed his hand on top of their son's head. The boy's brown hair pressed down from the weight of his father's hand, but he remained asleep completely oblivious to everything around him.<p>

"Don't think of this as a goodbye, because I will be back Solas…I will come back, someday. Till then you need to stay strong for you mother, and for Denzel, and Marlene." Cloud closed his eyes before he took a deep breath. Tifa squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. He slowly opened his eyes and continued.

"Don't forget; never let the darkness take you over. Stay on the path of light. And never lose sight of who you are."

Solas went "mhmm…" before he turned to lie on his side, while showing no signs of waking. Cloud took Solas' response as a sign that the words of a father had reached to the son.

Cloud slowly stood up without taking his eyes off the boy. Tifa moved next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder; she too kept her eyes fixed on their son. "Raise him well." Cloud told her. "You know I will." She replied.

* * *

><p>The following events that took place sped up in Tifa's mind, one minute Cloud was saying his goodbyes to the children, then they suddenly were downstairs in the barroom. Seconds later there she was, standing outside her bar watching as Cloud climbed on the Fenrir, with his travel bag strapped on his rain soaked shoulder.<p>

He put on his goggles, and revved the engine.

Tifa raised her hand and waved. Cloud sped off from the district and headed for the highway that would eventually lead him out of Edge-City.

She was grateful for the rain as it subsequently hid her disguised her tears. She knows he'll come back. That was defiant. Her thoughts then turned to three other people in her life, Solas –her first natural child– The little boy was a piece of him that she could hold on to for the time being, Denzel the boy that Cloud had brought from Aerith's church –though he was a teenager now– he was the first child she and Cloud had brought up together.

And then there was Marlene, she was her daughter although she didn't give birth to her, however Tifa knew the girl since she was four-years-old, and she raised her alongside Barret, and later on, she and Cloud took care of her while Barret was (and still is) in Corel.

Despite the fact that she now faced the challenge of raising the three children by herself, she still smiled for she knew that it wasn't a burden but it was a pleasure. Being a mother was in her nature, and she knew she could do it.

"We'll welcome you back Cloud, and I will be here, holding our smiling child as you walk through the door." Her spoke as the gust of wind rushed by…taking her words with it as it passed.

* * *

><p>[Author's Note]<p>

I know that it is not possible for Cloud to have degradation, however please bear in mind that this is just a story, and anything is possible.

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><p><strong>[Update]<strong>

**Sorry for the confusion on the the formatting. But here's what happened, I checked to see what the story would look for the readers, and I was shocked to see that most of the sentences were cut because it automatically was placed in new paragraph line and basically it looked all jumbled up. Therefore I have edited the document for the chapter. So I would recommend to the readers of this fanfic to view it with 1.5 spacing. But if any of you feel comfortable reading it like this, then okay great!**

**I hope the formatting looks better now.**


	2. Chapter I: Secrets and Emotions

Chapter I: Secrets and Emotions

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><p><em>Tifa stood outside soaked in the rain as she still watched Cloud riding off into the distance. She looked at her right hand, eying the wolf shaped ring she wore. This piece of jewelry was one thing that she never took off. It was the symbol of the hardships they both survived through.<em>

_It was a symbol of their past, a past that would always be there to remind them of their troubles in the future. It was also a sign the struggle never ended, they both still had to struggle, and their children will have to struggle–though not as greatly as their parents before them–but they will have to do so in order to survive._

_Lightning struck the night sky. The thunder roared fiercely. _

"_Tifa!" Denzel darted to her and clasped his hands on her shoulders, and then he pulled her back inside the bar. _

_He sat her down on a barstool and immediately made her something warm to drink. "What were you doing out in the rain?" He asked. Tifa blew on the cup before she answered, "He's gone again." _

_Denzel remained silent for a few minutes before he finally guessed, "You mean Cloud right?" Tifa nodded, confirming his suspicions. Denzel let out a long sigh as he came to grips with the news. _

"_So what happens now? Who's going to look after the delivery service ––"_

_Tifa cut him off, "I'll worry about that later…how about you go back to sleep?" Denzel stared at her. Tifa nodded and motioned him to go upstairs. _

_He reluctantly walked out of the barroom and headed back upstairs with Tifa watching his every move till she was alone. _

_The Delivery Service didn't really matter to her at the moment. What filled her mind was the question of how would she be able to break the news to Marlene and Solas? _

_Marlene probably could take the news lightly since she was older. But what about Solas? He was a child; he was still too young to understand the world around him. This would no doubt create a big impact in his life. _

_Tifa shivered through her cold wet clothes, and looked over at herself. _

_She put off those thoughts. She placed the cup down on the counter, and idly walked out of the barroom, heading towards the stairs, down the hallway, pass the children's bedroom doors, and finally she reached the bathroom._

_Tifa took off her clothes and stepped into shower, ready to give herself a nice warm wash. _

_She closed her eyes as the lukewarm liquid poured on her, getting rid of all the chills, and her worries. _

_Tifa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She plunged into the deeper parts of her subconscious, towards the deeper chains of her memories._

_Then she enlighten with a vision of a moment in time, the birth of her son. She remembered the moment very well._

_Her contractions had started and then sky rocketed within three days. She ended up having to give birth in her bar. The labor pains lasted approximately seven hours, but if she knew back then what she knew now, she would dare say all the pain was worth it. _

_To be able to hear her son's cries as he took his breath into the world, and seeing Cloud's eyes twinkle in disbelief and awe was worth it too. She could tell that he almost cried that day, but he didn't. She was the one who ended up crying the tears of happiness for them both. _

_Solas was their new light in the dark. He became another reason for the both of them to fight and live another day. And in return, their little boy sought love and attention from both his parents. _

_Although it seemed that he was a mama's boy, Tifa knew deep down his bond with Cloud was far deeper than the bond he shared with her. _

_Solas only came to her when he needed comforting, but he turned to his father for other things. _

_Tifa sighed, deciding that she had enough with her shower. She pushed aside the shower curtain and reached up for the white folded towels above her. _

_She wrapped one towel around her body and the other around her hair before she walked out of the bathroom._

_Tifa immediately received a cold chill once she left the confines of the lavatory. She had to force herself to walk down the small corridor._

_She forced herself to walk pass Denzel's room, and then Marlene's._

_Each second felt like an eternity as she closed in on the third door, the one that stood right across hers._

_Solas' bedroom. _

_The images of her son's heart breaking face would haunt her throughout the night till the time she will have to disclose the reason for his father's absence. Her eyes shifted for a moment before she closed them._

_Some days would be worst, while other days would be better. That was the thought she forced into her mind as she stood in front of her son's door. That was the only thing that would matter in next days ahead._

_They all should live, and continue to live as normally as possible, like the next day would be their last. _

* * *

><p>"Dad's gone?"<p>

It hadn't the first thing that she wanted to say in the morning. But it had to be done. And it was.

Solas sat down in front of her, on a barstool. His mouth tight shut, in a small frown as his eyes reflected the mutual feeling of incredulity within her heart. Solas shouted, calling her a liar before he jumped off the stool.

It fell sideways and slammed on the floor with a loud _**BRUCK**_ sound. Denzel got off his stool and thoughtlessly went after him. Marlene slowly turned to her and asked,

"Is it true Tifa?"

She didn't know how to answer that; she didn't want to say again. Saying the words 'Cloud's gone' still made her shook. But she couldn't show that to Marlene. Smart, innocent, fourteen-year-old Marlene.

"Yes, Cloud's going to be gone for a while…but he promised to come back. So we're going to continue on our normal routine till he comes back alright?"

Marlene nodded slowly.

At least Marlene knew the truth and that was all that matter to her. Tifa's heart lighten to an intensively as relief washed over her. It wouldn't be hard for Denzel or Marlene to take the news in.

They were older, teenagers.

Denzel was sixteen and he was growing up, but he still had a long way to go. Tifa on the other hand, she was thirty…she also had a long way to go.

Maybe, Cloud's leave had a purpose to it? Maybe it didn't happen just to let them deal with the grief again…there had to be something more. She was sure of it.

"I HATE YOU!" Tifa stopped with her thoughts as she looked back on the small opening behind her.

One thought then clouded her mind, her little boy's screams.

Marlene glanced at her, Tifa nodded and entered to opening to head upstairs.

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><p>Once again she had the sensation as if a whirlwind spun around her while she took each step to towards the second floor of the foundation. She walked down the small hallway, and stopped in front of the spot she stood prior to this morning.<p>

She heard the sound of pillows being punched and thrown at. She heard Denzel trying to reason with him while he blocking his childish attacks.

The last thing she heard was Solas' voice of rage as he shrieked, "Stupid Denzel! Get out of my room!"

Tifa calmly opened the door.

Solas growled and threw the pillow at her. Tifa caught it easily, and set it aside before she approached the both of them.

Denzel stood up and stayed in the sidelines, unsure if he should leave or not.

Tifa continued to approach Solas as he stood on top of his bed. Her little boy glared at her. This was his warning, he wanted her to leave and now.

She sat down beside him and stared up.

"Solas…" She called him. The little boy remained still, unwilling to move. She mentally sighed and turned to Denzel. "It's okay you can go." She told him.

He nodded and left the bedroom.

Solas peered at her angrily, but Tifa stood her ground. She knew what the problem was; she could feel it within her heart. She rested her hand on the spot next to her. Solas remained standing.

Tifa opened her mouth and spoke, "I understand you're upset…but you shouldn't be hurting people like that." She paused and looked up, Solas slowly lowered down the pillow in his hand.

"Your father's gone on a long trip…and he's not going to leave us forever, he'll still come and visit––"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM?!" Solas shrieked to her face.

"I couldn't, this was something he needed to do, and I can't stop him just for the sake of him not leaving." Tifa explained.

Solas' expression softened to an extent as he finally sat down beside her.

"A long time ago, your father left us too…he was sick, and he felt useless. He felt that he couldn't protect, Marlene, Denzel and myself." She stopped, and sighed.

Was it the right time to tell him about what happened eight years ago? How would Solas take it?

"What happened mom?"

Tifa turned to him, and continued. "He was sick, he had the same illness Denzel had. And now he's sick again."

Solas blinked in confusion. "If he's sick then he should stay here." He declared. Tifa replied, "I know…but he didn't want to, he doesn't want you to get sick too."

"Does that mean he'll come back when he gets better?" Solas asked with a hopeful expression.

Tifa nodded. Although deep down she didn't know if Cloud was ever going to get better, in fact it's more than unlikely he'll recover. But she can cling to that small piece of hope as well.

"Mom, I'm sorry I threw that pillow at you…" He replied. Tifa carefully placed her hand in the back of his head, and then she pulled him against her shoulder. Solas glanced at her.

"I forgive you." She said sincerely. Solas quickly hugged her and refused to let go. She hugged him back. After all it was the least she could for him.

She knew that there'll be more days like this, and she would always be there putting off her own feelings for the sake of her child.

Soon she slowly broke off the embrace and stared at him.

"Don't you want to apologize to Denzel as well?"

Solas nodded and pulled his arms away from her neck, and then he stood up and jumped off his bed.

He quickly opened his bedroom door and rushed downstairs.

Tifa smiled, she was glad to see that Solas' spirits return to him.

It didn't take very much to make him happy again, he was lucky in that sense, because it meant that he could recover quickly from whatever loss he went through.

She was very grateful to have a son with that wonderful trait; it would help her throughout the days ahead.

More importantly, it meant that her child was a good person, because he would never ever hold a grudge no matter even if he might be horribly treated. Tifa stood up and slowly left the room before she went back down to the barroom.

* * *

><p>She stopped, spotting Solas standing in front Denzel while he sat on the barstool. Solas announced, "I'm sorry Denzel." Denzel smiled and reached down to ruffle his unofficial adoptive brother's hair, he replied. "Apology accepted."<p>

The very notion of Denzel accepting Solas' forgiveness made Tifa proud to be given the job of looking after them.

It was a pity that Cloud wouldn't be here to witness it. She was sure that he would be proud as well.

Tifa turned towards the doorway, and automatically she could picture him walking through that door any minute, but then she remembered he wouldn't be walking in anytime soon.

She turned back to Denzel and Solas.

The two of them were entertaining themselves, talking, playing…doing things ordinary brothers would do.

Soon an idea came to mind, she called out to Solas. He responded and immediately ran up to his mother.

Tifa stooped down to his level and suggested, "How about we give your father a call?" Solas nodded enthusiastically. He turned around and ran behind the counter to pick up the cordless phone. And then he ran back to his mother, shoving the phone in her hand.

Tifa smiled lopsidedly as she dialed. She held the phone up to her ear, and listened to the tone.

'_I'm not even sure if he'll answer…'_

Tifa mentally shook those thoughts off her head; she couldn't afford to be discouraging not now, especially not now.

In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Denzel and Marlene's worried faces. She knew what they were thinking too, but it wasn't time to give up hope.

The dial tone kept going for several minutes before the line automatically disconnected. Tifa's heart sunk, but not for her own feelings of sadness…instead it was disappointment that her son would be sullen again.

Solas tilted his head as Tifa lowered the phone. She sighed and slowly shook her head. His eyes widen for a second, his mouth automatically hung open in disappointment before he lowered his gaze to the floor.

His little speck of hope was dashed off, and there wasn't anything she could about it for the time being.

Tifa crouched down in front of him and said, "We'll try again later, I'm sure he'll pick up by then—"

"No! Dad's stupid! I don't want to talk to him!" Solas yelled before he rushed out of the barroom to his room.

Tifa slowly stood up and walked towards the bar counter to put the phone back. Marlene stared at her with the same look of concern on her young face. Tifa glanced at her while she gave Marlene a look of assurance.

"Give it time Marlene, give it time." Tifa spoke. Marlene nodded reluctantly.

"I'll check on him again." Denzel offered. Tifa shook her head.

Solas wanted to be alone, and she knew it. She knew that giving him space would be the best option. If Solas was ready to talk, then he'll let her know…somehow.

* * *

><p>The three days that passed were harder than Tifa imagined, Solas had refused to come out of his room despite her constant urges to get him out, but he wouldn't let her in.<p>

He was too much like Cloud in that aspect––No. He's hurting more than usual, that's why he chose to stay in there…

Tifa let out a small sigh as she turned towards the opening. She stopped whatever she was doing and walked upstairs.

She might be pushed away, but she didn't care. He was her son, not somebody else's. Whatever problem came between them should remain between them. That's why she signaled Denzel not to do anything for the time being.

It was her suggestion to call Cloud, despite knowing the fact that he wouldn't answer. It her was her fault that her son was in this state. And she was going to break him out of it.

Solas' door was right in front of before she knew it. Her hand acted on autopilot as it reached and twisted the knob.

She pushed open the door and entered the room.

The curtains closed off the windows, blocking out any form of sunlight from entering.

Solas sat in the corner with his head to his knees, and his arms over his head. She frowned lightly as she approached the boy.

"Solas." She whispered. Her boy looked up with his brown tearstained eyes.

Tifa knelt in front of him, with her arms wide open. He rushed to her, and clung to her neck for dear life. She wrapped her arms around him.

He cried, and it broke her heart to hear him weep.

She caressed the back of her son's head as she started to calm him down.

"It's going to be okay Solas." She told him.

"You're lying…" He declared. She shushed him again before she started humming his lullaby.

Solas bit his lip and closed his eyes while being soothed by his mother, despite the fact that he wanted his father here more than anything in world.

Tifa could sense that from him, but there wasn't anything she could do to fix that. Cloud was gone, but she was here, right where she needed to be.

Tifa found herself regaining emotional strength each time she looked at Denzel, Marlene and Solas. And slowly her faith in Cloud increased rather than decreased. Which shocked her at first, and then she gradually knew he was all right. She could feel it from within her.

It wasn't just instinct. It was a fact, she was very sure of it.

However, it didn't mean that she wasn't worried about him. She was terrified, and she kept this hidden from the children.

They had enough worries they didn't anymore. Especially from her.

Solas' voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "I'm feeling better now mom…" Tifa looked down and ran her fingers through his hair. "Are you sure?" She questioned. He answered her with a nod.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Knock, knock.<strong>_

Solas and Tifa looked at the doorway. She said, "Come in…" The door opened, and Marlene peaked her head inside, and she announced, "Tifa, you have a guest downstairs."

Tifa nodded and slowly stood up. Marlene opened the door wider and paved way for her to walk out.

She proceeded to head downstairs, ready to meet her guest.

As she entered the bar, she stopped and looked at the person sitting in the first booth of her bar.

Reeve Tuesti.

* * *

><p>She honestly didn't expect to see him again, not after the Deepground incident.<p>

Tifa kept this to herself as she took the seat across his. She had a feeling that he had an important message to give her.

"What brings you here?" She asked. He answered, "I'll be brief, I came here to talk about Denzel."

"Did Denzel do something?" She questioned. "Yes, he signed his letter of resignation."

Letter of resignation? Those words added more confusion to her head.

'_When did he start working for the WRO?" _ She thought to herself. Why was Denzel keeping secrets from her?

Reeve cleared his throat, and straightened up on the spot, "He didn't give a valid reason as to why he wanted to resign, so I was hoping that you'd have the answer."

Tifa replied, "I'm sorry Reeve, I had no idea he even worked for the WRO."

Reeve remained still as he stared at her. Tifa sighed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I'll try and find out why he quit, and I'll let you know." She assured him.

Reeve nodded before he stood up to take his leave.

Tifa sat there, thinking to herself; wondering what made Denzel do such a thing? He was still a teenager, he wasn't ready to see the harsh realities of life yet—suddenly she remembered, he had seen the dark side of life when he was around Solas' age.

Maybe he wanted to help prevent more tragedies from occurring…perhaps he felt that it was the least he could do to repay the people who kept him alive.

She was one of them. And he wanted to repay her for taking him in.

She didn't want to be repaid like that; it's not how it's supposed to be. From the moment Cloud brought him to the bar; she knew that it was part of her responsibility to take care of him.

All she wanted was for Denzel to become a good person. That's how he could repay her.

Tifa stood up and left the booth.

The decision was made; she was going to talk to Denzel **tonight.**

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I know chapter one took a while, and I do apologize for that; the reason why this chapter took a while was due to a bad case of the flu+Sinusitis (sinus infection) that unfortunately left me bedridden for six days. (=.=')

Now, I have seen a doctor, and I am recovering quite well. Second heads up,according to Google translate, Solas means 'Light' in Irish; (though it might be wrong) and if it is, then I apologize, but I won't change his name.

Third heads up, there might be a possibly that I will start working part-time for a charity committee, I might be doing things from selling local products to filing papers or teaching village children. But this is just a possibly, so if it does happen, chapter II or later chapters might be delayed, and if doesn't happen then this story might be updated weekly.

Okay that's all for now.

Stay tuned for Chapter II: The Reveal.

-SAga4000


	3. Chapter II: The Reveal

**Chapter II: The Reveal**

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><p>Tifa closed the bar that night. After all the business could wait till tomorrow evening. Right now all she could think about is talking to Denzel. She wanted him to know that she wouldn't have minded if he wanted to join the WRO. All he needed to do was tell her. <em>'Maybe's he was afraid that I wouldn't allow him?'<em> She thought, and truth be told, it did hurt her a bit to know he didn't trust her.

Then she remembered, he was going through adolescences, it was a time in life where people had to discover things about themselves and learn who they truly are. That must be it; he was trying to find his own place in the world. He wanted to know who he was…

Right on cue, the back door opened. "Huh?" Denzel went, astonished by the apparent quietness of the bar. Tifa heard him approached the room only to stop in his tracks a mere seconds later; once he caught her sitting on a bar stool. Her eyes moved to the stool next to hers, the second one on the left. Denzel nodded and pushed the divider before he sat down on that spot.

He asked, "What's going on?" Tifa slowly turned to him and calmly explained, "Reeve came over for a visit today, he wanted to know why you decided to quit." Denzel paled slightly.

"You're not in trouble Denzel." She told him. He didn't look too sure, so she smiled gently and nodded. Denzel sighed before he admitted, "I joined the WRO a month ago." He continued "And I quit because I didn't want you to worry and that way I can take care of the delivery service."

"Denzel, I'm happy that you want to help…but the delivery service isn't the point." She stated, "Why didn't you tell me?" He looked away for a minute before he turned back to her, "I didn't know how you'll take it." Pangs of realization touched her heart as she stared at Denzel. His face bore an expression of regret, and remorse.

It was similar to the expression Cloud bore that night, when Kadaj and his gang kidnapped him and Marlene.

Those weren't the emotions people his age should feel yet. It was true that teenagers should learn from their experiences, and then let it go. But Denzel didn't appear to be letting go; after all he had been keeping this secret within for a month. Thirty days…she felt angry with herself for not realizing this sooner; for not helping him wash away the burden he felt for every single moment within those thirty days.

_'It must've been torture for him to carry a secret this big.' _ Tifa thought about how heavy the burden felt for him. "Denzel, I'm not angry at you for not telling me…but if you wanted to be a part of the WRO, then just tell me about it next time." Denzel faced her, shock written about what she had just said. She wasn't that surprised to get that reaction from him; under normal circumstances most teenagers his age would expect some form of punishment. But she wasn't that type of person. Tifa knew he had his own reasons for doing what he did.

After all she was once a teenager too.

"Denzel you can rejoin WRO if that's what you want. You don't have to worry about the Delivery service." The Delivery Service was something that Cloud had started and wanted to finish. That was Cloud's path not Denzel's. This was something both she and Cloud agreed on. What they started here would end with them. The children would create their own legacies.

"But Tifa––" She held her hand up, ceasing Denzel from speaking any further. Then she said, "You should discover who you are, don't try to be somebody that you're not."

"I understand." He replied. Tifa placed her hand on his shoulder and advised him, "Try not to over think it."

"I won't." He replied. Tifa motioned him to go to bed. Denzel nodded and stood up. He waved goodnight just moments before he pushed the divider to head upstairs. Tifa waved back while his back was turned.

She sighed. Aimlessly she turned her head towards the wall behind her, where a set of photographs plus her son's drawings hung. Her eyes focused on a particular picture. It captured the moment Solas took his first steps She closed her eyes. And for a brief moment she could replay that period in time.

A strong sense of nostalgia overcame her.

* * *

><p><em>It was rainy Sunday morning within Edge-city.<em>

_The bar was silent due to the lack of customers. Denzel and Marlene laid head to head with their backs to the floor, as they tried to make plans to pass the time. Solas sat down beside them, actively moving his head around his the bar in wonder. _

_He made a sound._

_Tifa looked over. __Solas had his hands placed firmly on the floor. Then straightened his legs up before he pushed himself upright._

_He stood up on his own, and looked down at his two feet, he bent his knees and sprung. His feet didn't leave the ground before he fell back and landed on his rear. __Tifa rushed out, and he attempted to do it again. She held Solas by the underarms and this time he was able to 'bounce'. He looked up before he shrilled up in laughter. __Tifa chuckled lightly as he 'bounced' for a few more times._

_Marlene and Denzel sat up and looked at her with interest, "Tifa can we help too?" Marlene asked. Tifa nodded, and the duo slowly walked up to her. Each them took held Solas' arms; Marlene held on to the right while Denzel held on to the left. __Solas looked up at both of them, and then he bent his knees. Denzel and Marlene gently lifted him._

_Solas went "Aaaaa!" as Denzel and Marlene lifted him into the air. __Tifa took a few steps back, and watched._

_Solas got bored within the next five seconds, and he (without warning) just laid down and refused to get up. __He would scream anytime Marlene would try and get to him play again. "Don't push him Marlene." Tifa added_

_The bar's bell chimed, Tifa turned to the doorway. The person who entered the bar was none other than Shelke. __Her blue cerulean eyes darted to Tifa. "I've retrieved the groceries you requested." She stated, trying to sound cheerful despite her monotone. _"_Thank you Shelke." Tifa replied. Shelke nodded and walked in, then she placed the groceries on the counter, then she reached in to sort out the food and other necessity items when Tifa laid her hand on her shoulder._

"_You're soaked, so how about you change your clothes first and I'll take care of the shopping." She suggested. _"_I understand." Shelke replied._

* * *

><p>"Mom?" Tifa snapped out of her reminisce and turned to her left. An anxious faced Solas stood there, right beside her clutching the ends of his bright blue long sleeved pajamas with the tips of his fingertips.<p>

"What's the matter?" She asked him. Solas slowly approached the bar stool, and looked up at her. She saw the apprehension in his eyes.

Tifa lowered her arms, and picked him up before she set him on her lap. He laid his head against her shoulder. Tifa chuckled whilst brushing her fingers through several locks of his brown hair. Solas felt content with his mother's touch, and gradually started to relax. He closed his eyes and breathed out a calmed sigh as he very steadily drifted back to sleep within his mother's arms.

She looked down at her slumbering child as she got off the bar stool before retreating back upstairs whilst still carrying him in her arms. He weight almost next to nothing in her hold, which goes to show the hidden strength inside her. For most people, it would be nearly impossible to carry a six-year-old child without tiring after a few minutes or so.

But Tifa wasn't like other people; in some cases she would have considered herself to be lucky for she had survived a few catastrophes in her life. Having been one of the few sole survivors of the Nibelheim incident, she knew first hand what could have been lost; on the other hand, she also knew what could be gained.

Solas shifted in her hold before he remained still again. Tifa struggled to open the door while keeping Solas from falling to the floor. After a few minutes she managed into his room, and lay him down on the bed. Solas snuggled up to his pillow, murmuring something indistinctive before he steadied himself on the comfort of this mattress.

Tifa stroked his hair slowly after she tucked his blanket under his chin. "Sweet dreams." She whispered before she stood up. She walked across the room, and stopped in-between his doorway. She turned around to stare at her son's sleeping form again, before she headed to sleep.

Tifa gazed up at the ceiling. Her brown eyes shifted back and forth in wonder as her mind filled with thoughts and questions she didn't have before. In her mind, she was starting to question her own abilities.

'_Can I really do this the second time round?' _She closed her eyes and turned to the side. Her eyes welled up in tears again as the events from tonight played in her memory. Then it disappeared just as quickly as it came. She realized that her sadness must have been easier to notice than she first thought. The children knew that she was hiding it away from their sake.

'_Could it be possible that they think I'm about to break?" _She shook the idea out of her head. There wasn't anyway she was near that mental state. So what were the other reason?

Tifa sighed to herself, as she turned to lie on her back. "Looks like I'll have to find out tomorrow." That was the only thing she could hope for tonight.

* * *

><p>"Mom, I'm so bored…" Solas whined that morning. Tifa glanced at him, before she smiled. "Why won't you go and play outside with other children?" She suggested. Solas puffed his cheeks out in protest and remained silent. Then he hopped off the bar stool and laid on the floor. Tifa approached her son and sat down beside him, then asked, "What do you want to do?" "Play cards." He answered. Tifa nodded before turning to the dishes. <em>'I can do it later.'<em> She thought. Tifa turned to look at her son, and then she said joyfully "How about you pick the cards and then we can play."

Solas' cheerful demeanor returned and he raced upstairs to collect the deck. It was nice to unwind a little. Relaxing with her son…this was something that she treasured. She was grateful for this little family she received. This family she had made everything seem worthwhile, all the sacrifices, and all the pain. It was something that she had to go through in order to get this point, and it was something that Cloud had to go through as well.

That thought made her love him ever more. Fate was funny that way; it was unpredictable with its winding roads and numerous paths. But it always led to one point.

"Mom I got the cards!" Solas rushed over, holding the decks in his right hand. Tifa sat up and folded her legs as her son sat cross-legged in front of her. His eyes had that sparkle of life as he grinned like there was no tomorrow. Tifa closed her eyes as she began shuffling the cards. Stack by stack, the sound of the cards toppling over one another came to her ears as she mentally counted from one to ten.

Then she stopped, and opened her eyes. She began passing out the upside down cards between them as just as quickly as she shuffled them.

A memory resurfaced in her mind.

* * *

><p><em>Shelke turned and stared at Solas as he sat up. His innocent brown eyes blinked in curiousity as he stared right back at her. Suddenly he pushed himself forward and stood up. His legs trembled slightly as he tried to balance his body weight. Solas spread out his arms wide. <em>_He took a shaking step forward, and then stopped for a few seconds before he started again. Tifa slowly stepped out from behind the counter and knelt down, with one bent knee to the floor. She held open her arms, ready to catch him anytime she needed to._

_Denzel and Marlene slowly followed him from behind, in case he fell before making it to Tifa's opened arms. Solas stuck out his tongue in concentration as he took slow-ridged steps towards his mother. All of a sudden he stopped in front of her and carefully tried to turn to the side before he started walking again. _

_Tifa's expression immediately changed from happiness to bewilderment. __Shelke looked down at the little toddler as he made his way over to her. Solas dropped down in front of her feet and peered up at her while he adorably stuck his finger within his front part of his mouth._

"_Shhhhh!" He went. _

_Shelke could only blink in reply. _

_A few minutes later, Cloud's Fenrir was heard approaching the bar, and within a span of ten minutes, he finally came inside._

* * *

><p>Tifa subconsciously chuckled after her reminisce. Her son looked up at her, tilting his head to the side as he asked, "Why are you laughing?" She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I just remembered something that happened a long time ago, that's all." Solas blinked twice before he straightened up his head.<p>

Tifa turned to the window behind her and gazed. Solas slowly frowned; his mother had that far off look again. He wondered if she was still sad about his dad like he was. Solas put the cards down and crawled to her side. He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Tifa snapped out of her daydream and slowly turned her head towards Solas.

He immediately hugged her. Tifa nearly jumped back, and then she gradually slowly returned the gesture and patted him on the back. "It's okay to be sad mom." Tifa smiled solemnly as she tightened the hold on her son. "Thank you…" She whispered. Solas didn't know how to respond to those simple words of gratitude, in fact he didn't understand why his mom was thanking him? He only hugged her so she would stop feeling sad. After all it worked for him…so it should work for her too. He was sure of it.

His dad hardly hugged him, though he was sure that his dad loved them––no…that was a lie, his dad ran away. He was sure of that, and the story behind the illness must've been made up as well. It didn't matter anymore, he didn't need his father in his life, and he had Denzel, Marlene, and most importantly his mother.

If his father hadn't left, then his mother wouldn't be sad anymore. "We don't need dad." He declared begrudgingly.

"Why would you say something like that?" Tifa questioned, hiding the disappointment from her voice. Solas replied, "No reason…" Tifa held her hand to the right side of his face, and turned his head so he could look at her. "Tifa, I'm back!" Marlene chimed from the back door. Tifa looked over to doorway as Marlene stepped inside the barroom.

Solas took this opportunity to slip out of his mother's grasp to run into his bedroom. Marlene quickly moved a side as he rushed out of the barroom. The teenager frowned as she turned to Tifa, who looked equally sadden. "So he's starting to give up." Marlene sighed. Tifa nodded. Marlene leaned forward from the bar stool across the one Tifa was sitting on, and grasped both of Tifa's hands with her own.

"Don't worry, Solas will turn around! I know he will." Tifa could only smile at Marlene's attempts to reassure her, but deep down it did very little help to lift this heavy weight within her own heart.

Her son's words filled her mind: _"We don't need dad." _Four simple words with a thousand meanings, one of those meanings was betrayal. Tifa eyes widen in realization, did Solas feel that Cloud betrayed them somehow; even though she made it clear there was no such thing.

Betraying them would be last thing in Cloud's mind.

Marlene looked up as Tifa stared at the surface of the bar counter. Marlene placed her hand on her shoulder. Tifa slowly turned to her, Marlene's voice trembled as she tried to say, "Denzel and I aren't giving up on Cloud, so don't you give up too."

"I won't." Tifa declared. Marlene smiled in relief before she hugged Tifa. Marlene then said, "I miss him too." Tifa heard another falter in Marlene's voice

"I know you do." Tifa replied as she straightened herself up in front of Marlene, "You can cry when you miss him Marlene." That's all it took, and within seconds Marlene allowed her tears to fall as she leaned on Tifa's shoulder. The bell jingled, and Marlene broke away from Tifa as they both stared at the front door. Marlene wiped away her tears and slowly stepped down from the bar stool, before she left the room.

Tifa smiled politely at her guest (and old companion) Vincent Valentine. "It's good to see you again Vincent." Even after all this time, he still hadn't changed. Whether it's his attire or his habit coming over for one of his very **rare** visits. He nodded before silently observing the bar, "Not much has changed." He noted. Tifa nodded in agreement.

Soon he turned his attention to her, "Is there something you need?" She asked as she got off the bar stool. Vincent went straight to the point, "Has Cloud returned?" Tifa shook her head. "So I see." He replied, just minutes away from taking his leave. Tifa called out to him and asked, "Has something happened?" He simply replied, "You may want to sit down for this. Because whatever I'm about to tell you won't be easy to take in."

"I'll be fine." Tifa added. Vincent proceeded with the news.

* * *

><p><em>It was calm, cool afternoon. A sense of relief for those inhabitants of Edge-City, after all it was a rare occasion for anyone to get such cooling winds in this part of the Planet.<em>

_The windows were let opened in order to let in the soft breeze within the premises. Tifa had just finished putting Solas down for his nap, after the little two-year-old persisted to remain laying on hard floor of the barroom. __Cloud casted his eyes on Solas, watching each breath the boy took Tifa saw the look on his face. The light in his eyes had a thousand meanings, but only one word to describe: Love. After all this time, it wasn't something Cloud had fully grasped yet. At least not in a sense when it came to raising a child from scratch._

_He made the effort, and that was good enough, "He's pure…"_

_Tifa slowly glanced at him. She peered at his eyes, trying to read the emotion within them. A countless number of different sets of feelings were written inside the blue windows into his soul, a number too many for her to specifically describe his sentiment._

_Though she was sure that this particular thought plagued his mind, 'Is he really a part of me?' _"_He is." She answered, Cloud quickly turned to her. Tifa had a lively smile on her face as continued to gaze at him from her spot on the floor, "Solas came from the both of us." She slowly turned her own head to look at their sleeping child as he napped away contently._

"_What if he's…and what if I'm a…" Cloud stopped as he looked away for a moment. "He isn't." Tifa insisted, moving off the floor. _

_She walked over and sat down on the stool next to his. "Even if he is, that won't change anything. He's still a human Cloud. And you're a human being too with or without Jenova Cells. That's a small part of you that was enforced…and I don't regret whatever happens from here on end."_

"_Tifa, if anything else were to happen, if I were to leave again––" __She cut him off, "Why would you need to leave again?" Cloud continued, without answering her question, "If I need to leave again, I don't want you to wait." Tifa took a deep breath as she tried to regain her composure. _"_I would wait…even if you didn't want me to." __She would keep waiting; after all they have built so much here. It would be wrong for her to continue living her life, pretending he had nothing to do with what they have now. He was a part of her, and she was a part of him._

_How could she __**not**_ _wait for him? She would, but that wouldn't stop her living her life. She was certain that she would have to push herself. But it'll be worth it. _"_If you want to leave again someday, then I promise I won't stop you…so don't try and stop me from doing what I think is right." She stated._

* * *

><p>"It's important that Cloud hears this for himself." Vincent stated. Tifa nodded slowly, while trying to apprehend the information into her mind. She felt Vincent's eyes on her, and she gave him a reassuring gaze. Although deep down, the facts he had revealed to her only added extra weight to the burden she had deep inside her. She would not break. There was more that she could live for, and that thought could hopefully ease the negativity within her.<p>

Life wasn't an easy road; this was the cruel reality of it. But everything happens for a reason and sooner or later, the reason will slowly unravel. Sometimes the answer is clear, and sometimes it only adds more confusion to the mind. She doesn't know if the answer she'll receive would be a clear one or will it leave her secretly seeking more.

Tifa will wait, for she was sure that an answer would come, once it was time for her to face it. "Thank you for telling me Vincent." She whispered. "Tifa, if you need help with your business, then don't hesitate to ask." He replied. She smiled and nodded. Vincent turned around and said just as he was about to walk out of the door.

"Take care of yourself."

* * *

><p>[Author's note]<p>

Sorry for the long update, life has been a little bit hectic since I got a part-time job now, which means updates will take even longer to come! Oh well...that's life...

And thank you SootyThunder for the review! I'm glad that you enjoyed the story!

That's all for now, stay in tuned for Chapter III: Surprise

-SAga4000

* * *

><p><strong>[Update]<strong>

**Sorry for the confusion on the the formatting. But here's what happened, I checked to see what the story would look for the readers, and I was shocked to see that most of the sentences were cut because it automatically was placed in new paragraph line and basically it looked all jumbled up. Therefore I have edited the document for the chapter. So I would recommend to the readers of this fanfic to view it with 1.5 spacing. But if any of you feel comfortable reading it like this, then okay great!**

**I hope the formatting looks better now.**


	4. Chapter III: Surprise

**Chapter III: Surprise**

* * *

><p><em>Solas looked on the plane in awe as he settled himself on his father's shoulders, as the two of the watched the sunset within Midgar's outskirts. <em>_Cloud __looked on to the horizon, staring at the diminishing orange sky as the sun slowly went down. _

_This was the first time Solas had ever left Edge-City, in fact this was the first time he ever seen a sunset up close before, "It's so pretty…" Solas stated as he laid his chin on the top of his father's head. "I don't want to go home…" He added. "I want to stay here papa! Can we stay here?" Solas begged. Cloud shook his head while he raised his arms, ready to set the boy back down on the ground. __Solas blinked twice as his father lifted him off his shoulders. His feet touched the ground, and he looked up at him._

"_No, we can't stay here. Think about what your mother would think if we did." __Solas took this thought into consideration and declared, "I don't want to stay here, because mama would be lonely." __Cloud knelt down in front him, and asked, "Are you ready to go home?" Solas nodded. Cloud took his hand and led him back to Fenrir, which stood a few feet away from where they were standing._

_Cloud placed Solas in front of him before he got on the vehicle. Cloud started the engine, and put on his goggles. Solas placed his hands firmly on the head of the motorcycle. Cloud twisted the handle and rode off. _

* * *

><p>Solas gleefully looked at the seven candles in front of him. He turned to his mother, who in turn gave him an encouraging nod. Solas smiled and took a deep breath before he blew the candles. It was finally here, starting from today (the 23rd of April) he would officially be seven-years-old. Solas looked up at his mother and grinned. Denzel walked over and handed him the plastic knife.<p>

Solas stuck out his tongue in concentration as he attempted to cut the cake. Suddenly the door burst opened and all the residents of the 7th Heaven turned towards the doorway. "Hey guys!" Tifa shook her head; she knew that cheerful voice anywhere. Tifa smiled as a certain twenty-five-year old female ninja hugged her.

"It's been way too long! And why didn't you tell me you were having a party!" Yuffie scolded. Tifa replied. "Well, for one it's not an adult party, it's a child's party." She turned to Solas and waved her arm, signaling the birthday boy over. "But I haven't finished cutting the cake!" Solas argued. Tifa gave him a light look of warning; Solas growled and walked over to her side.

"Jeez, he's grown!" Yuffie gawked as she knelt in front him. Solas quickly became intimidated and hid behind his mother's leg. "It's alright Solas, she's an old friend." Tifa told him, but he still refused to budge. Tifa turned to Yuffie apologetically, but the young woman waved it off. Solas looked up at his mother and asked, "Can cut my cake now?" Tifa sighed and nodded. Solas ran off, leaving the two women alone. Yuffie folded her arms. Tifa knew what she wanted to ask, "So is he even coming back?"

"I know he is." Tifa answered, "You'll just have to wait." Yuffie rebutted, "You can't go on waiting forever…what about your kid? He needs a dad you know."

Tifa sighed, "I realize that––" Yuffie cut her off, "Seriously Tifa, Cloud's not even here for his own son's birthday, are you sure he didn't just paint his skin and run off?" Tifa shook her head. Yuffie placed her hands on her hips, and raised one of her eyebrows. Tifa shook her head again; she knew Cloud wouldn't do something like that on purpose.

He had a good reason for it. Yuffie looked at the window, and sighed exaggeratedly. Tifa turned to the window, curious to see what made Yuffie sigh.

It was the rain. "Cool!" Solas exclaimed as he rushed towards the window. Yuffie turned to Tifa questioningly. "He likes the rain." Tifa answered simply. "What's so great about the rain anyway?" Yuffie wondered. Solas turned his head back and shot a glare at her. Tifa held Yuffie by the shoulders and pulled her away before they would start a glaring contest. Yuffie turned her head back, making sure that Solas wasn't listening to their conversation.

* * *

><p>"So how has it been since you know 'who' left?" Tifa stared at her for a moment before she answered, "Well everything is fine, though business has been a bit slow lately, but Denzel and the others are adjusting…it's just normal."<p>

"That's a bit of an understatement." Yuffie added. Tifa shook her head in disagreement. Yuffie continued to stare in Tifa, with disbelief in her eyes. However, beyond that disbelief she could sense the unshakable faith Tifa had in Cloud. In a way Yuffie envied her but at the same time she was really happy for her.

After all the things Tifa's been through it was only fair that she received a bit of peace. "Hey mom when the rain stops can I play outside?" Solas asked. Tifa replied, "Tomorrow, it's a little bit late to be playing outside now." He sulked, and looked out the window again. His mother was right; he could see moonlight rays shine through the rain clouds. He sighed out of sheer disappointment before he leaned his forehead against the glass, hoping that tomorrow would come soon enough.

"Solas don't you want to open your present?" Tifa added. The little turned his head back, immediately peaked with interest. Tifa smiled and nodded to Denzel. He nodded and quickly headed upstairs. Solas quickly ran to his mother and asked breathlessly, "What did you get me?" She patted his head and replied, "Wait till you open it, then you'll see." Solas grinned happily.

"Here it is!" Denzel exclaimed while he balanced a rather large rectangular box in his arm. Solas' beam only increased as he ran towards his older foster brother. Denzel lowered the gift down to the floor, just in time for Solas to rip apart the brown wrapping paper.

Solas lifted the lid of the cardboard box and marveled at his gift. He reached in and pulled out a detached bike handle.

"It's broken…" Solas complained. Denzel shook his head, "It's not broken, and you just have to build it yourself." He explained. Solas raised an eyebrow in question. Denzel added, "I'll help you make it." Solas replied, "Okay!" before he stuffed the bike handle back in the box. He ran over to his mother, and gave her a good tight hug. Tifa hugged him back. Once Solas was done with his mother, he went over and did the same thing with Marlene and Denzel.

"Hey, I got something for you too." Yuffie pointed out as she dug her hand in her pocket. Solas turned and walked over to her in curiousity. He turned to his mother with concern. Tifa nodded in assurance. He looked up at Yuffie as he stepped closer and closer to her. She bent down, and held her hand out to him before she unfurled her fingers. It was small glowing glass ball. Solas looked up at her. "It's called Materia." She added. Solas slowly took the ball from her hand and stared at it with drawn eyes as he slowly studied it with wonder.

Denzel chuckled at the look on his foster brother's face and folded his arms in amusement. Tifa smiled, and stood watch as the night played before her. Everything sped up in her mind and what seems like seconds later, she stood over the sink washing the dishes while Denzel mopped the floor.

He turned to Tifa with his worried gaze; he stopped mopping and straightened up. Denzel gathered up the courage to ask, "You're wondering where Cloud is aren't you?" Tifa slowly put down the plate she was drying and then she turned around to face him, with her shock-written face.

She quickly looked down on the floor. "Tifa!" Denzel hollered. She turned to him again, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to say anything." She answered, "Not today, not while Solas…" She stopped and looked away from him again.

"I know what you mean…it hasn't been an easy time for us in the past year. And I know who you see when you look at Solas…" Denzel buried his hand into his pocket as he said this; his each of his fingers was digging through the material, and searching for some lost treasure he could've given her.

He continued,

"But he's not Cloud, and deep down you know that. He will never be Cloud." Denzel finally found what he was looking for. Tifa saw the small folded piece of paper in his hand as he held it in front of her.

"Take it." He ordered. Tifa left the sink and lifted the divider before she finally reached his side. She shakingly took the paper from his fingers and unfolded it. The paper contained a letter from Cloud.

_**Tifa, **_

_**I'm all right; I know it's been a while since you've heard anything…but I'm fine. I'm still seeking the answers to this degradation. Though I haven't found any. I will soon.**_

_**So don't worry about how I am or where I am. Everything will be fine, either way I will be returning soon. It's about time that I did. **_

_**Solas must've grown a lot since I last left…sometimes I wonder how he's coping? But then I remember Denzel's there, so he'll look after Solas when I'm gone.**_

_**Tifa, if you're angry then you have right to be. All this must've been harder on you than anyone else.**_

_**I'm sorry, for everything that you've been through.**_

* * *

><p>Tifa never got to finish the letter, for the sound of a motorcycle engine broke her concentration. Denzel looked over the window.<p>

The back door suddenly opened, and he hurried over there and hurdled over the bar counter in defense mode with the mop still within his firm grasp. Tifa rushed after him. She stopped the moment she heard mop drop. Denzel stood in front of her, his eyes widen in disbelief before the man before him.

Tifa slowly stepped through and stood in front of Cloud. The gray pigment that once only covered his shoulder and the base of his neck had spread to his forehead and chin. His blonde spikes had also partially turned gray or silver. Denzel swallowed the nonexistent lump in his throat as he looked at this supposedly thirty-two-year old man. He appeared to have aged giving the appearance of someone who was in his late thirties or early forties.

Denzel turned away, and headed back into the barroom to finish up his mopping.

Tifa raised her hand to touch the right side of his face, which remained untainted for the time being. Cloud grabbed her hand, ceasing her from going further and he shook her head, he stated. "There's nothing you can do…" He released the hold he had on her. Tifa slowly lowered her hand. She grasped her left hand with her right and looked down as Cloud entered the building.

"Welcome home." Tifa replied as she turned around. Cloud slowly turned to face her. "Why do you welcome a man who ran away from home?" He asked. Tifa simply smiled, "Why shouldn't I welcome a man who returned?" Cloud walked over to her, with his hand raised, ready to lay it on her cheek.

Suddenly he stopped and lowered it, he turned around and announced, "I need to get some rest for the next journey in a few days a head." Tifa nodded.

Cloud took a step when he felt someone's hand in his. He looked down and glanced at the person next to him. Tifa intertwined her fingers in his and said, "It's good to have you back Cloud." He closed his eyes and turned away. Tifa placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head back to face her.

Cloud slowly opened his eyes, and for a moment their gazes met one another. Cloud saw the emotions written in her lively, watery brown eyes. Endearment, happiness, relief, and most important of all forgiveness. "I…" He started before stopping all together. "Don't apologize for something that you can't control." Tifa told him. "What's important is that you're here, and that you know you have a home to come to."

"Thank you…" He whispered. Tifa shook her head slowly, as if to tell him not to thank her. Cloud blinked once in confusion. Tifa slowly tightened the hold she hand on his hand as she approached him. She softly rested her head against his. _'I'm not the only one who deserves to be thanked…'_ She thought as she closed her eyes.

She felt Cloud pull away. "We all had a long day…it's about time we all get some rest." Tifa nodded to his words.

He squeezed her hand once before he led them upstairs towards their bedroom.

* * *

><p><em>It was the midsummer, April the 23rd<em>_; it was a time when the bar would be packed from morning to night. __In the mornings the bar would serve as a restaurant. The usual customers would come and greet her. Tifa would routinely smile at them; after all it was part of her job to make them feel welcome. Her child kicked her from the inside._

_Tifa made a small grimace as she patted her stomach. "Hey you alright there Tifa?" One male customer asked her, obviously worried to obvious pregnancy. Tifa nodded, "I'm fine…he just kicked again." She turned down to her belly and said, "It won't be long now…just hang on a little longer." _

* * *

><p>Tifa sat next to Cloud on his bedside, staring at him as she traced her hand on the shades of gray on his skin. He barely felt the touch till her hand traced the back of his neck. The gray pigmentation had spread there too. Tifa eyes half-closed in disbelief, then she felt Cloud wipe away the tears she hadn't realized she shed. She saw the guilt in his eyes, and only hurt her even more.<p>

"I'm sorry…" Tifa laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't be, I promise you it wasn't anything you did…it isn't." She replied.

"Tifa…" She pressed her hand to his left cheek and shook her head, indicating him not to speak. "You've given me so much Cloud, I just wished I could do more for you…" She admitted. She took a deep shaking breath as a way to prevent herself from shedding more tears and then she continued, "I wish I could save you this time…but I don't know how…" Cloud stared at woman before him. He knew she was openly expressing herself to him (it was very rare for her to do so) and it was a good thing she was. It relieved him to see that she wouldn't bottle up her emotions.

Cloud told her, "You've done enough, Tifa. You've done more for me than you know, and you did save me… you helped me regain my true memories."

Cloud moved over closer to her Tifa rested her head against his shoulder as he continued to speak, "you treated me when I had Mako poisoning, and you raised two children and then you bore our son. That's not something I could accomplish."

"Your wrong, you did accomplish it too." She stated as she looked up at him. "But I'd left you alone."

Tifa shook her head in disagreement, "I was never alone Cloud. You were always there with me, and the children are here too, so I have the company I need." She laid her hand on top of his, and interlaced their fingers together.

Cloud looked down at them for a moment before he moved his gaze towards Tifa. She turned her head around to face him, with a smile on her face. Cloud casted his eyes away from her and looked down on the floor.

"Let's get some sleep." She suggested, "I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning." Cloud nodded once, and then he slowly pulled his hand away from Tifa's. She stood up and walked over to her side of the bed, and pulled the covers. She laid her head on her pillow before she covered herself with the blanket.

The bed shifted, and Tifa felt Cloud's weight beside her. She turned around to catch a quick glimpse of him, but found that he had his back facing her. Letting out a silent sigh, she turned back and laid on her back.

She stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Tifa fought back the urge to grimace as she served her customer. The pain around her waist was almost unbearable, but she forced herself to walk towards the table. <em>_The woman sitting on that table with her family turned and noticed that Tifa was taking extremely slow steps. She excused herself and headed over to assist her. Tifa looked up at her as the woman took the tray from Tifa's hand._

"_Are you alright?" She asked. Tifa nodded reluctantly, despite the pain. A shockwave of pressure shot down from under her and Tifa unintentionally cried out. __Tifa hunched over with her bent knees firmly placed on the floor as she wrapped her arms around her enlarged stomach._

_She bit her lip as she squeezed her own hand till her fingernails punctured her skin. The same woman knelt down beside her and demanded, "Tell me what are you feeling?" __Tifa looked up at the woman's green eyes and replied, "I feel like I have to push…"_

_The woman turned around and called for the man beside her. The man from the table quickly rushed over. He knelt over and lifted Tifa bridal style. _

_She forgot her pain for a moment as she stared at the man in shock. Then within that split second she saw the man's eyes. __They were the exact shade of brown just like hers. "Don't worry you'll be alright." Automatic trust filled her heart as the brown haired man carried her upstairs. __The woman opened the door to Tifa's bedroom, which only added more fuel to Tifa's suspicion. The man slowly laid her on the bed. Tifa winced and immediately grasped the blanket._

_The pain within grew worst within each passing hour and she really felt the need to push. The green eyed woman turned to her and ordered her not to, because it wasn't time yet. Tifa tighten her grip on the blanket, and the man clasped her hand on hers. _"_You'll be okay." He told her. Tifa nodded slowly before she let out a light scream of pain. She squeezed his hand._

_The man turned to the woman and signaled her to re-examine Tifa. The woman nodded and went over to the foot of the bed. A few seconds later she shook her head, "Not yet she still has a long way to go." __The man felt his hand being squeezed again, he immediately turned to Tifa and said, "Just hang on a little longer, it won't be long."_

_She looked up and stared into his brown eyes again. He nodded encouragingly. Once again the trust she had for this nameless man filled her heart. Tifa nodded back slowly. "Start breathing." The woman instructed. __Tifa breathed in and out, in and out, in and out. The man pressed her to go on with her breathing exercises._

_She felt the flow time come to a halt, and before she could register it the woman suddenly ordered her to push. Tifa sat up and bent forward. She gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might. The woman then told her to breath and push again. __Tifa lost count of how many times she pushed, but there was one thing she was sure of. After she did this last push, a miracle happened that changed her life forever._

_The strong shrill of a newborn's cry. The woman held the thrashing infant in her arms. Tifa lifted her chin up, trying to get a better look of her child through her hazy vision. _

_Fatigue soon plagued her mind, and she found the image of the woman and her child slowly fading to black. __The last thing she remembered was her question to the man, "Tell me your name…" __He replied, "Solas…"_

_That was the first and last time Tifa ever saw that family again. The next thing she remembered was Cloud's voice calling her. __Her vision slowly returned, and she turned to her left. There he was, looking down on her with relieved eyes as he sighed. __She heard a small gurgle to her right. Her heart turned her head towards that direction. Lying there beside was her child. "You did it." Cloud stated. She automatically turned her head back to him as the tears filled her eyes._

_She nodded once with a bright smile plastered on her face as the droplets trailed down her cheeks._

* * *

><p>Tifa slowly opened her eyes and turned her to the right. She watched Cloud's soft breaths for a mere moment before she fixed her eyes on the ceiling. Then she turned back her gaze towards Cloud. He shifted before he let out a soft hiss of pain. Cloud subconsciously grasped the left side of his body, just below his ribcage. Tifa got out of bed and immediately went to his bedside.<p>

She stuck her hand under the blanket and felt for the spot where Cloud's hand laid on his possible injury. She found it, and then she slowly pushed Cloud's hand away. The spot was warm, and very moist. Tifa lift her hand from the blanket and stared. It was red, no…blood covered. Tifa slowly lifted the covers off him, and took a good look at the wound.

She could tell it was a rather old wound that simply refused to heal. Without warning Cloud grasped her hand, she noticed that he was wide-awake. "I'm going to get a cold towel and some bandages." He objected, "You'll wake the kids." Tifa turned back to him and shook her head. She brushed her fingers on the side of his face, and slowly pulled away. She turned and walked towards the door.

Tifa pressed the cold towel to Cloud's wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. Cloud turned his head towards her and asked, "It was Solas' birthday yesterday wasn't it?" She nodded as she pressed a little harder. Cloud made a grimace, Tifa lifted up her head and looked to him apologetically.

Her eyes turned back to cold towel she had on him. Her eyes could see what she was doing, but her mind was somewhere else. The thoughts were brought back to what Vincent had told her nearly a year ago.

"So it's true…" She mumbled. "What's true?" Cloud asked. She snapped out of her daydream and shook her head. Tifa lifted the cold towel and sighed in relief, the bleeding finally stopped. She stretched out her arm and reached for the bandages. Cloud silent watched her as she wrapped up his injury, and he waited once she let her guard down.

After the fifth wrap, he touched her fingers with his. She stopped and glanced at him. "There's something bothering you." He noted. Tifa shook her head as she continued treating his wound. He stated, "Tifa, you know you can tell me anything." She nodded this time as she finished the bandaging. "I had a dream." She admitted. Cloud had a look of confusion on his face. "I had a dream about the day our son was born…about the man and woman who helped me deliver." Cloud nodded, he remembered that day quite vividly. He wasn't home at the bar during the whole process, and then he got a call.

But he knew that wasn't what she really meant to say. There was something else, however luck wasn't on his side. Not today.

"I'll be leaving again in three days." He told her. Tifa looked at him worriedly. Nevertheless she nodded. After all, she'd keep her end of the bargain, and he'll keep his. She moved back to her side of the bed, and slowly rested her head on the crook of his neck. Tifa once again intertwined her fingers in the spaces between his, and said, "Have a safe trip when you go." Cloud replied, "I will." He lifted their joined hands up to the ceiling, "I'll come back again, knowing that you'll wait for me." They both clenched their hands together. Tifa closed her eyes while she and Cloud pressed their hands between themselves.

The gesture symbolized the unshakable bond between them, whether it's them as friends or more.

Tifa turned to Cloud, knowing he was still awake, and then she asked, "Are you going to see Solas in the morning, even with your wound?"

"I will…I have to apologize to him too."

"What if he doesn't accept it?"

"That's his choice…whether he'll see the apology as a genuine thing or not, it's beyond my control." Tifa lightly squeezed his hand. Cloud continued, "I haven't been a part of his life for a year…I'm pretty sure he's got a lot to say to me."

"I'll be there." She told him. Cloud turned to her with obvious shock. It was understandable. But she could imagine what Solas' reaction was going to be, so she had to be there in case he did anything that he'll regret later.

"Get some sleep Cloud, you really need it." She said to him. He nodded before he slowly pulled his hand away from hers. He took one good look at Tifa before he forced himself to sleep. Tifa stared at his face for a few seconds before she too, forced herself to sleep.

She found it much easier than she thought, despite the impending motion that would await them in the morning.

In spite of her all her questions, Tifa finally fell into a blissful slumber.

* * *

><p>[Author's note]<p>

I'm sorry for the extremely long update! Life has been pretty hectic for me with the part job I have, and battling my minor depression (which comes and goes for no apparent reason) but that won't stop me from updating.

So again, I apologize for the wait!

Anyway I have chapter IV partially done so it might be quicker this time! :D

Look out for From You, Chapter IV: Hope.

Any familiar characters ©**Square-Enix**

Solas Strife, Solas II and his family © **Me**

* * *

><p><strong>[Update]<strong>

**Sorry for the confusion on the the formatting. But here's what happened, I checked to see what the story would look for the readers, and I was shocked to see that most of the sentences were cut because it automatically was placed in new paragraph line and basically it looked all jumbled up. Therefore I have edited the document for the chapter. So I would recommend to the readers of this fanfic to view it with 1.5 spacing. But if any of you feel comfortable reading it like this, then okay great!**

**I hope the formatting looks better now.**


	5. Chapter IV: Hope

Chapter IV: Hope

* * *

><p>"<em>What's <em>_**he**__ doing here?" Solas demanded as he set his eyes on father. Cloud took a step forward, whereas Solas took a step back as he kept his glaring eyes on the man before him. "I said that I'd come back every now and again, so I'll be staying here for three days."_

"_Did you even remember it was birthday yesterday?" Solas questioned. "I did…and I want to apologize––"_

_Solas cut him off, "What kind of father misses his own son's birthday?" Tifa set herself by Cloud's side as she stared at her son with pleading eyes. Solas stared at his mother with sad eyes as he shook his head. Then he turned away, muttering. "Forget it…" _

_Solas rushed to the counter and pushed the divider before he raced upstairs. _

_Tifa placed a sympathetic hand on Cloud's shoulder before she looked at him. He had his eyes closed, obviously trying to hide the hurt from her. She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. He opened his eyes and turned his attention to her. _

"_Maybe it's better that I go…" Tifa shook her head to his words. Cloud sighed, before he looked away. She could tell he felt that he was unwelcomed here, and it pained her to see him in this state. However she knew if he did leave, then he'd be doing it for their son's sake rather than his own. _

_She was torn, one side of her wanted sympathize with their child. However another side of her wanted him to stay for as long as he intended. _

_Most of all, she knew that forcing anything between the two would only make things worst. So she did the only thing that she could do._

"_It's your decision Cloud…" _

_He turned back to her before he answered, "I'll stay here as like I planned." She nodded reluctantly, although deep down she knew he meant to say that he'd leave tonight. But he chose his words carefully, as not to hurt her even more._

_Sure enough, Tifa found a letter on Cloud's pillow the next morning. _

_The letter read, _

_**Tifa, **_

_**I'm sorry for being a burden. And if you're angry, then it's more than I deserve. Sometimes I feel as if I don't have the right to be blessed with everything that you've given me. **_

_**Someone else should've taken my place.**_

_**-Cloud.**_

_She folded the letter and placed it back on the pillow before she laid diagonally on his side of the bed. _

"_Is he gone again?" Denzel's voice rang from the opened doorway. Tifa slowly sat up. She pulled her knees to her chest. _

_Denzel approached her, and sat down in front of her. "You don't have to keep doing this." He stated. She darted her eyes at him and asked, "Just what do you mean by 'This' Denzel?" He eyed with a knowing look._

_He meant, sacrificing her needs for theirs (mostly Solas) and it time that she had a break. "If you wanted Cloud to stay longer, then you should've said something…I could've talked to Solas—"_

_Tifa interrupted, "That'd only add more fuel to his anger Denzel. That's the one thing I don't want to happen." Denzel frowned, and then he turned away. "If he's angry, then let him get angry…I'm going to get Cloud back." He rose up and quickly went through the door before Tifa could stop him. _

_She watched him walk out the door with her hand already outstretched to cease him. She slowly brought her hand up to her chest. _

"_Be careful Denzel…" She whispered. _

* * *

><p>"Tifa…" Marlene called her with a worried tone in her voice. Tifa glanced at the twenty-year-old young woman in front of her.<p>

She apologized, "Did you say something Marlene?"

"You're worried about them too aren't you?" Marlene observed. "A little…I just hope Denzel is alright." Tifa added.

It had been five in a half years since he started his search (although he calls whenever he could) she can't help but feel worried for the two missing members of her family.

_**PAH!**_

Both of them turned to the opened backdoor and witnessed Solas trying viciously to mimic some fighting techniques he learned from a few of his friends. Marlene turned to Tifa worriedly, but Tifa shook her head reassuringly.

"What if he gets too rough with those fighting moves Tifa?" Marlene added. "I raised him better than that. He knows how to tell the difference between right from wrong."

_**BRAK!**_

Tifa and Marlene quickly darted outside.

Solas wiped the blood from his bottom lip as he stared at his ten-year-old light blond friend before him.

Solas growled as he pulled his arm back with his hand already clenched to a fist. "Solas Strife!"

"It's Lockhart!" Solas shouted, turning his head back to face his mother. Tifa bit her lip.

He turned to back his friend, only to find that he ran off. Solas gritted his teeth before he faced his mother again,

"Why'd you do that?!" He shouted. "Do you hear yourself, just who do you think you're talking to!" Marlene scolded while attempting to knock some sense back into him, "She's your mother! And she's very worried about you."

Solas directed his gaze at Tifa and saw the expression in her eyes. He turned away and quietly walked back inside the bar.

Tifa took a breath and walked inside. She spotted her son sitting down on his favorite spot, on the floor of the bar.

If she weren't disappointed, then she would have burst out laughing at her twelve-year-old son. Tifa approached him and sat down next to him.

"Hey…" Solas sighed. "Hello…" Tifa replied.

"What happened just now?" She asked. For once, Solas didn't tell her off or refuse to answer. He just went straight to the point, "That kid said you were the reason my so called '_**father' **_left…he said you **kicked** him **out**."

He gritted his teeth as he declared, "There was no way in hell that I was going to let him get away with insulting my mother like that."

Tifa immediately looked down, and remained silent. She didn't know what to say, although she was proud that he was simply trying to defend her, but she didn't want him to resort to violence.

She's seen enough violence that would last till the end of her days; she didn't want to see anymore. Tifa knew what she had to do, and she wasn't going to like it.

"Solas, I want you to go to your room and think about what you've done." He nodded again, showing no signs of objection. He stood up and quietly left the barroom.

Tifa closed her eyes, listening to her son's footsteps as he left. Seconds later she felt a touch on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry mom." He whispered before he continued on. Tifa slowly opened her eyes and turned around in thirty-degree angle. Her eyes observed him as he walked up the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Don't worry about him Tifa, all twelve-year-old boys are like that." Johnny added as he served her a drink. Tifa stared at the glass, and twirled the water around.<p>

She sighed and looked up at him, smiling reluctantly. Then she replied, "Thanks for listening Johnny." Johnny nodded.

She added, "I haven't punished him for a while. He never really gave me any real reason to do so." He nodded slowly, as he absorbed the information he just received from her.

He walked over to his large sink, and pulled out one of his dirty glasses. He grabbed the drying cloth, hanging from his side and proceeded to wipe it. He turned her around to Tifa, and spoke while wiping,

"He's got a lot weight on his shoulders, and one thing for sure. The lack of a father figure is a factor." Tifa eyed with intrigue as she listened to his words. "He needs a male role model in his life…or you can find someway for him to channel that heaviness within him."

Tifa looked away in thought, _'What can he do to get rid of his burden?'_ An idea came to mind, and her eyes widen in anticipation.

She slowly turned around to Johnny and said, "I know what I can do…"

"I know what I can do…" She repeated as she slowly stood up. Johnny looked on as she walked over to the counter.

"How much?" She asked. Johnny smiled lopsidedly, "It's on the house." Tifa nodded and turned around.

Just as she was about to walk out, she heard Johnny call out to her again. "Hey Tifa, bring your kid here sometime, you know when things get difficult. I'll talk to him alright."

She nodded and turned around to large span of dry soil that surrounded the outskirts of the city.

* * *

><p>Solas sat on his bed, with his knees up to chest as he started at the middle of his room. He sighed and sunk his head to his kneecaps, wallowing in his actions. There was a sudden knock on his door.<p>

He slowly turned his head to the side, and answered, "It's not locked." Before he returned to burying his head in his knees.

Solas knew who it was, and honestly he didn't want to see her at the moment. But he knew better than that.

The bed shifted at the additional weight, and soon he felt a gentle touch to his hand.

"I talked to Johnny today."

He lifted his head and eyed his mother as she talked, "He suggested that I should find a way to channel out anything you're hiding or repressing." He nodded before he turned to her.

"I want to leave." Solas spoke.

Tifa eyes widen as she stared at him. "You'd just twelve three months ago…" She added.

"Yeah, and I've been a thorn on your side for the few years. I know who you're really waiting for." He closed his eyes and continued, "Think about it this way, I'm leaving so you don't even have to choose anymore. I'll be gone and he'll come back. As long as he and I stay in one roof, there'll always be conflict."

Tifa slowly reached for his shoulder. Solas pushed himself off his bed and walked over to his dresser.

* * *

><p>Nearly six years of searching, Denzel ended up back in Wutai. His eyes scanned the buzzingly crowd in front of him. He squinted eyes, searching for Cloud's two distinguish features, his graying skin and near white hair.<p>

He walked around, asking people if they have seen the man or not. Most of the answers he received were not the ones he hoped for. But it was expected, after all…Cloud could be anywhere.

Denzel sat down on the ground, pulling one knee up. He sighed as he stared the sea of citizens idly walking by in front of him.

Something caught his eye. A limping figure located in the far back of the crowd, leaning against the walls of several shops while trying to walk.

Denzel immediately stood up and he forced himself through the crowd, trying vigorously to make towards the other side.

He slipped through with great difficult as he tried to keep a look out of the figure.

"CLOUD!" He shouted.

That got his attention; the limping man slowly turned his head towards crowd. He saw the young man struggling to get over towards him.

Cloud pushed himself a way from the wall and slowly made his way toward the horde. He stretched out his glove-covered hand and reached for the young man's hand.

Denzel grabbed his hand and Cloud pulled him out. Denzel used his left foot as a brake to stop himself from falling. He slowly straightened up. He took a glance at the man before him.

Much to his relief, he could see that Cloud hadn't changed that much. In fact he looked exactly the same from the last time Denzel saw him.

He sighed in relief before he wrapped his arms around his father figure. "Are you ready to go home?" Denzel asked him as he took two steps back.

Cloud answered, "I still have a lot to do Denzel…go tell Tifa I can't go back yet."

Denzel held up a phone to his face, "Tell her yourself Cloud…hearing your voice is the greatest gift she can receive."

Denzel flipped opened the lid and handed the device to him. Cloud searched his contacts, and quickly found Tifa's number.

He pressed the call button and held the phone up to his ear.

He heard her voice on the other line,

"_Denzel how've you been? Is everything alright?"_

"This isn't Denzel." He answered.

There was a long pause before she responded,

"_Cloud…it's been a while, are you alright? Are you coming home soon—"_

"Not this time…I still have a lot to do over here."

"_Where are you?"_

"I can't tell you…but I'm safe, and Denzel's safe too. I'll send him home."

Denzel objected, "I'll stay and help you." Cloud turned towards him, with the phone still up to his ear.

Denzel stood up straight and remained firm. He had learned about the effects of degradation from Reeve before he left. Apparently, an event like this had occurred years ago with two SOLDIER members, the director of SOLDIER and a scientist. One of the two SOLDIERs died, the other one was still at large, the director and scientist died.

Reeve wasn't too sure if degradation actually caused death, but the possibility was still there.

He knew it was a matter of time before Cloud's body would immediately wear itself out. It wasn't preventable, it would happen eventually…but Denzel hoped that with his help he could prolong whatever time Cloud had left.

Cloud eyes widen as he heard Tifa's voice on the phone _"Let him stay Cloud."_

Cloud finally nodded and then he hung up. He turned to Denzel and noticed his hand was on his shoulder.

Denzel gave him a look of concern as soon as he saw the expression on Cloud's face. Moments later his eyes seemed to darken as the realization started to set in, he said out loud, "You couldn't feel that."

Cloud nodded slowly as he turned away from Denzel.

Denzel asked, "Where are you staying?" Cloud turned back to him and said simply, "Follow me."

Denzel closed his eyes and made a grimace as he looked at the small run down shack. A huge percentage of the shack was covered in molds that grew from the rain that came through the holed rooftop.

He looked down on the floor and saw the straw mat in front of the fireplace. Cloud stepped inside, and knelt over the fireplace.

Denzel saw the glowing ember, and sighed before he knelt beside Cloud.

"You get some rest, I'll take care of starting the fire." He stated. Cloud nodded, and laid down on the straw.

'_Just as I thought…it's a makeshift bed…' _The twenty-two-year-old thought gravely as he got the fire started.

Denzel stared at the fire in concentration before he turned his attention to Cloud for a moment. He was asleep and then he shivered, despite sleeping next to the fire. Denzel took off the dark blue cape he wore, and covered Cloud with it like a blanket. He turned back to the fire and pulled one knee up.

He watched the flames dance before he closed his eyes for a moment. He turned to Cloud one more time and said,

"I'm going to see if I can find us anything to eat…be right back." As expected he didn't receive reply.

Nonetheless Denzel felt the urge to say, "Rest well Cloud, save your strength."

* * *

><p><em>Tifa slowly placed her phone back into her pocket and sat down a barstool. She laid her hand on her lap and smiled in relief. <em>

'_You did it Denzel…you really did it." _

"_Mom I'm ready." _

_She turned towards the opening, and spotted her son standing there with his backpack slung over his shoulders. Tifa closed her eyes as he lifted the divider. He walked passed her._

"_Solas wait…" Tifa called him as she opened her eyes. He turned around. She got off the barstool and walked up to him. She grasped both his hands with her own, _

"_Stay here…you're not ready to go yet. Please try and think it over."_

_Solas pulled away and replied, "I have, and I'm leaving…I'm going to find my own path, I refuse to remain here. If I stay here I'm just going to make things harder for you and Cloud." _

"_What if you get hurt?" Tifa added. _

"_So what, I've been hurt before. Besides I have a pocket knife with me." He retorted._

"_At least let me know where you'll be staying, so I can contact you…" She said. _

"_I'm finding this man called Zangan, and I heard he moves around a lot. So I don't think contacting me will be possible."_

_Tifa crossed her arms. Solas saw the look in his mother's face. He saw the sadness in her eyes, part of him wanted to tell her that he was kidding and everything was a big joke, although another part didn't want to turn back. _

_It was too late to turn back. He'd already contacted Zangan, and the old man already gave him the rendezvous point._

_Solas turned his back to his mother and said, " Bye mom." _

_He walked out the door, without a moment's hesitation. _

_Tifa immediately went numb as she stood amidst the bar. Her son just left…the child she gave birth to just left to pursue his own path at his young age._

_She couldn't let him. _

_Tifa darted towards the front entrance. She spotted her son across the street, handing a man a few pieces of gil in exchange for a transport to wherever he was going._

"_SOLAS!" She shouted before she ran across the street._

_Her son and the man stepped inside the car. Tifa forced herself to run faster as the car drove off. She shouted his name a few times. _

_Solas could hear his mother shouting his name, and then he looked up at the man. He glanced at the review mirror and saw a woman chasing after them. _

_He turned back down on the boy, and notice that he clenched his hand into a tight fist. "You know that woman kid?" The man asked gruffly. _

_Solas nodded and answered, "She's my mother." _

"_I'm going to pull over—"_

"_NO. Don't get me wrong; I'm not doing this because I spite her. She's been a wonderful mother…but I won't accept the fact that she keeps waiting for the man who fathered me, even when he comes back. He'll just leave again." Solas paused for a moment as he started down at his clenched fist, _

"_I'm tired of seeing her going through that kind of pain. I hate him for making her go through that."_

_The man listened as Solas went on._

"_My hate for my father is too strong, not even my mother's presence can eliminate that feeling. So it would better if I just left. That way I won't have to see him, and I wouldn't have to see her struggling to hide her sadness from me."_

"_Kid, it seems to me that you're mother is trying her best…cut her some slack, at least let her have some peace––"_

"_I'm not doing this for her." Solas rebutted, "I'm doing this for me."_

"_Sure you are kid, sure you are." The driver replied. _

* * *

><p>Tifa couldn't stop him; she couldn't even compete with the vehicle's speed on foot.<p>

Her son had left to start his own life without her. He didn't want her to stop him and he made sure that she wouldn't be able to either. The only option she had now was to wait for him to return.

Soon her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

There was one new message. She opened the message out of pure curiousity, and to her surprise the person who sent it to her passed himself as Zangan, her previous Martial Arts teacher.

Apparently, Solas came to him and he agreed to train her boy. However he was sorry that he kept this hidden from her.

Tifa could tell that her old master regretted making that decision.

'_Maybe he didn't know I didn't give Solas my consent…maybe Solas lied to him and said I was fine with it…' _She thought.

She quickly turned off her phone, and slowly left it on the bar counter. Tifa went upstairs and stepped inside Solas' room. She sat on his bed with her knees up before she laid her head down on his pillow.

Tifa stared out at his door, and closed her eyes. She wanted her little boy back, the happy little boy she once knew. But she couldn't get him back, who knows what'll happen if she even tried to look for him? Would he run to the ends of the planet where he'll never be found…or will he come back to her for a short while and run away again?

Tifa opened her eyes and slowly rose up from his bed.

'_I can't wallow in self-pity…or sadness. I need to act.'_ She scolded herself. Tifa stood up and walked over towards the door.

She pressed her hand to the wall and shook her dizziness away. Tifa forced herself to continue on heading downstairs.

Once she made it down the stairs, she suddenly saw stars, before developing lightheadedness. Tifa shook the sensation away and forced to walk towards the spot where her.

Her legs suddenly felt like jelly, and her chest felt tight. Her breathing slowly started becoming labored as she continued on to walk. Tifa's had this feeling before, though not this intense. Nonetheless she convinced herself that it wasn't anything to worry about. So she continued.

* * *

><p>Denzel entered the shack with a brown bag of food in his left arm. His eyes immediately turned to the straw mat, only to find it empty. Panic quickly welded up inside him as he quickly looked around the property.<p>

He suddenly sighed as he spotted, Cloud standing in front of the wooden glassless window.

Denzel walked and stood next to him. A large group of dark clouds covered the night sky. Seconds later lightning flashed followed by the roar of thunder. Then it started to drizzle.

"Solas loved watching the rain…" Cloud noted. Denzel nodded in agreement.

Cloud jolted as he spontaneously stood up. Denzel quickly turned to him in surprise.

"Tifa…" He whispered. Cloud quickly turned around, only to fall over. Denzel rushed over and pulled him up. "Take it easy. You're body is getting weaker and weaker."

Cloud slowly lifted up his head as he tried to make sense of the words coming out of Denzel's mouth, "I'll help you regain your strength, then we can go back to Edge and see Tifa alright. But you have to get better first."

Denzel slung Cloud's arm over his shoulder and helped him back on the straw mat.

Cloud tried to push himself back up, but Denzel forced him back down. "Listen to me Cloud, Tifa will be fine. Marlene and Solas will be there. Don't worry."

"You don't understand!" Cloud told him. Both of Denzel's eyebrows rose in shock. He stared into the older man's eyes. He saw the desperation within them. Denzel openly gritted his teeth.

"I'm sorry Cloud, but you're not going to make it all the way back to Edge-City in your present condition. Focus on getting better first."

Cloud nodded reluctantly before he slowly laid down on the mat. He heard Denzel sat down next to him.

Denzel said, "I'll keep fire going for tonight…try and get some sleep." Cloud closed his eyes, and tried to keep his apprehension away from his thoughts that night.

* * *

><p>Tifa couldn't walk on her legs anymore; they felt too numb…so she crawled towards the last barstool, which stood near the entrance. She stretched out her arm, and gripped the leg with her fingers.<p>

She mustered whatever minimal strength she had to push herself up. Her free hand reached for the phone.

'_I can't give up now…' _ She told herself.

Tifa called Zangan and prayed with all her heart that he would pick up. Soon her lightheadedness came back, only this time it brought with it a painful surge that struck the back of head.

She dropped the phone, and pressed one hand on her head. Her vision started dimming, and she felt herself fall to the floor.

"Tifa!" She heard Marlene scream as she ran towards her. Marlene lifted her off the floor, and carried her out of the barroom.

Marlene carefully laid Tifa down on her bed and quickly darted to Solas' room only to find it empty, and then she ran downstairs.

All the while, Tifa slowly turned her head back to the empty spot of the double bed. She slowly traced the pillow with her hand.

'_Solas…I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. That wasn't my intention…I'm sorry I wasn't stronger. If space is what you need, then you can have it for as long as you need…but please come back when your heart is already content.'_ She prayed before she closed her eyes.

She would wait for him too, and just like that she clung to the hope of her son's safety as she did with Cloud's.

And she would continue hoping and praying for both of them. No, three of them. She would pray for Denzel as well. For he was just as much her son as Solas was. No matter how drastic things would get, she wouldn't stop hoping for a brighter future.

After all, it was the duty that Aerith had entrusted her with. Tifa knew that Aerith had given her the duty of living the life that the flower girl couldn't have with Cloud.

It was the least Tifa could do after Aerith had sacrificed herself for the Planet.

There were a few times when she felt guilty. Like she stole something from someone. But then she remained herself she did no such thing.

'_You gave me your love for Cloud in hope that we would have the future you could've had…right?'_

* * *

><p>[Author's Note II]<p>

If you are wondering what happened to Tifa, all I can tell you is that she went through shock, due to the stress and anxiety of Solas taking off.

If you don't like where the story is going or if you feel that Tifa is somewhat OOC, then I do apologize, but I'm not going to change this chapter, period.

Now an idea of a sequel and prequel has sprung to mind, and it will focus on Solas' and Cloud's story. First off all, I will focus on Solas' story and then I will

work on the prequel that will focus on Cloud's thoughts and feelings before and after Solas' conception through his birth and early years.

Second off, the sequel will take place, right after the ending of this fic. Solas would be in his middle teenage years by then.

Laura Valentine (from my NG fics) will be in it as well [Although her origins will be altered], but I'm not sure what her role will be.

Anyway, that's enough of heads up from me,

Please look forward to Chapter V: Everlasting Memories

-SAga4000


	6. Chapter V: Everlasting Memories

Chapter V:

Everlasting Memories

* * *

><p>Three month. Ninety days, that's how long Tifa waited to hear anything about Cloud, Denzel or Solas.<p>

Today was no different to the other days, but she wouldn't allow herself to wallow in her emotions forever.

After all she wasn't completely alone, Marlene still lived with her and Shelke had returned as well. Tifa was grateful that Shelke had returned for her sake; however she also felt slightly ashamed for all the trouble she'd caused in the wake of her son's sudden absence. A part of her blamed herself for not being strong enough—for not noticing enough. In the end she was left to wonder what more could she have done for her son?

Her phone vibrated on the bar counter. Tifa went over to grab it.

The letters on the screen said that she received a new message. She opened the lid, and clicked the center button to open the message.

A smile crept up to her lips.

It was from Zangan. Tifa read the computerized text and immediately she felt relieved to learn that Solas was doing quite well (and that he had her skill). Her smile only widened to that comment.

It was good to learn that her child was well. Although she still felt a small pang of nostalgia whenever she thought of him.

"What's the matter?" Shelke asked. Tifa looked at her, then she shook the thoughts out of her head.

"You're hiding again." Shelke stated. Tifa glanced over, watching her as she made her way towards the bar counter.

Shelke added, "Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself rather than worry about others?" Tifa smiled as she stared out into the street in front of them. She motioned Shelke to take a look out as well. The two of them watched the people passed by. Shelke turned back to Tifa as the older woman explained, "You're right Shelke, it's important to worry about yourself. But, that's not who I am."

Tifa wasn't the type to just think about herself. If anyone needed her to help out, then she would do it no matter what condition she was in. It wasn't an excuse to justify abandoning those in need.

'_But times have changed, and the world is at peace…for now.'_ She thought.

Peace. It wouldn't last forever, no matter how much everyone would put an effort to make the world better for the next generation, there would also be conflict.

Tifa wondered if she was idly creating her own world by hoping that everything in her life would turn out the way she wanted it, realistically no one could get whatever he or she wanted in life.

That's just how it worked.

Good things come and go, and she would tell herself when the bad things come, the good things would come too. Whether you realized it or not?

Surprises were the wonderful part of life, and deep down everyone knew that surprises were everywhere. People can find it if they just stopped looking.

Tifa smiled and turned to her, "I know you mean well Shelke, but I'll be fine…after all anything can happen."

* * *

><p>Denzel pressed his thumbs against his forehead in frustration. The young man had gone through various books and documents about medical treatments and Wutainese History. But he could not find any connection or methods to Cloud's degradation.<p>

There were two things he learned.

One, Cloud's condition wasn't heredity, not unless someone took his cells. That meant Solas was going to be all right. A huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders once he'd come to know that information. He knew one other person that would just as relieved as he was. Tifa. The very woman who hadn't bore him, but bore his adopted brother. Denzel had to quickly push her out his mind as his worries slowly started to spew out his heart. He regretfully didn't have to time to worry about her right now.

Two, Cloud wasn't only getting weaker in a physical sense. He mind and emotions were getting weaker as well.

Denzel sighed as he turned away from the page he was reading. He gazed at Cloud as the older man slept on the other side of room.

He wasn't getting any worst, but he wasn't getting any better either. It would only be a matter of time till his condition progresses; Denzel could feel it within his gut.

He turned another page and squinted his eyes as he struggled to read it by the fire.

There came a cough. He looked over to Cloud's spot and noticed that he was starting to rise up. Denzel immediately put the book down and approached him.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?"

Cloud turned to the young man kneeling beside him, and nodded slowly. "Do you feel warm?" Denzel asked. Cloud shook his head.

That was a relief for Denzel; it meant that Cloud's fever had passed. He suddenly looked around at their surroundings and thought,

'_This isn't a good place to stay…not when he's like this.'_

He was going to find a new place to stay; he had to for Cloud's sake. After all living inside this rundown shack would provide no benefit for his health. Denzel slowly closed his eyes. He longed to be back at the bar. They both did. Denzel missed the atmosphere, the smell and the sound of it's creaking floorboards. To him it was home, and deep down that's where he wanted to be. But it wasn't where he should be.

He was meant to be here till Cloud was well enough to make the trip back.

Cloud was doing well…so far, but for how long?

"What are you thinking?"

* * *

><p>Denzel snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Cloud. He saw the older man's eyes trying to pry through his mind.<p>

Denzel let out a sigh and said, "I was just thinking about Edge-City, the 7th Heaven. You could call it homesickness."

Cloud nodded in understanding and replied, "I feel that too." He turned towards the window and stared out at the moon.

Denzel let out a sigh as he leaned back. He narrowed his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling.

It wasn't the right time for Cloud to go back to Edge, and yet…by the time they returned there was the possibility that it would be too late for him as well.

The both of them had remained here for at least three months, and homesickness had indeed transpired.

However he didn't want to risk it.

'_What choice do I have?'_ He thought to himself.

Denzel turned back to Cloud, and stated simply, "It's time we go back to Edge. Tifa's been waiting for you all this time, just like she promised."

Cloud nodded.

* * *

><p>"That's enough training for tonight." Zangan told his young pupil. Solas looked over to his master and nodded.<p>

The young boy removed his gloves, and stopped. He stared at the accessory in the palm of his hand. Then he turned back to his Master.

"How is my mother?" He asked. Zangan slowly raised one of his gray eyebrows, and answered,

"Why don't you go back and find out—"

"Master, I asked for an answer not a lecture." Solas interrupted. "She's doing well. And she is happy that you've chosen your own path."

"And here I thought she'd want me to go back." Solas retorted. "She does, but she wouldn't let that stop you."

Solas turned away. He knew what his mother was like, and to him that was one of her weaknesses…and yet it was one of her strengths.

However he couldn't understand why would she wait for someone as weak as his own father. His father had hurt her time and time again, and yet she could face living again for another day.

"Zangan…tell me, how can my mother bear carrying such a heavy burden on her shoulders? What else does she have to live for?" He asked as he turned to his master. Zangan told him. "Both your parents had a difficult past, it was a past filled with bloodshed and sacrifices." Solas' eyes widen to their accord. Zangan continued, "for other people to go through the acts they have committed…it would be enough to drive them towards suicide. However, you're mother found something else to do. She chose to make amends for all her actions in the past."

Solas asked, "What did she do?" Zangan looked down at him and added, "Have you heard of AVALANCE?"

Solas nodded, but he couldn't make the connection between the former Anti-ShinRa group and his mother.

"Your mother was a member, and so was your father."

* * *

><p>"Tifa, it's time to drink your medication." Shelke announced as she held up a glass and a small white circular pill to her.<p>

Tifa nodded gratefully, and plucked the pill from the girl's hand before she swallowed it down with the water.

She cringed slightly to the aftertaste, "It's a little bitter."

"You will have to endure it if you want to fully recover." Shelke added. Tifa smiled and nodded.

Shelke told her, "I cannot fathom how is it that you can smile even after all you've been through?" Tifa answered her indirect question with this statement, "That's because I'll always have something to smile about. No matter how hurtful things will get. The grieve will pass, and happiness will find it's way back again." She closed her eyes, and for a moment she could feel what Cloud was feeling, she could see what he was seeing.

Her head moved up and she took a deep breath, as if she were inhaling the ocean air.

* * *

><p>Cloud opened his eyes and stared out into the open sea before him. Then he turned to Denzel, who was currently negotiating a small ship to transport them back to Edge City. The young man closed his eyes, and sighed before he nodded his head to local man. They both had reached an agreement.<p>

Denzel turned to Cloud with a smile, but his eyes gave everything a way. He walked over towards him. Cloud stated, "I'm going alone aren't I?" Denzel remained silent confirming his assumption. "I don't have enough money to pay the fare for us both… so I'm sorry." Denzel replied. Cloud placed his hand on Denzel's shoulder, "Don't be. You've done enough."

"Thank you for everything Denzel." The older man told him.

"Likewise." Denzel replied.

_**Ding! Ding! Ding!**_

Cloud looked over at the ship and then turned back to Denzel, "I have to go." Denzel nodded. Cloud turned around towards the shipmate, and followed his directions towards the vessel that would take him back to Edge-City. Denzel smiled as he watched him leave. This was how it was supposed to be in the first place.

This was how the story between Tifa and Cloud should've been. After all the battles they faced, all they horrors they witnessed and committed. All their losses and sacrifices…it was only right that they stayed together side by side to continue on living for a better a future. It was a wonderful thing for him to witness. He took a long breath of satisfaction.

His job was done.

* * *

><p>The day went by as it always did. Tifa would perform her regular chores, wash the glasses and the plates, and then she would get bar ready for business. However she wouldn't be one to run it.<p>

Instead the duties fell on Shelke and Marlene. In a way Tifa felt as if she were robbed at the same time, a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. However there was the lingering sense of helplessness that still hung around in her heart.

There wasn't anything she could about it, after the episode she had three months ago, the only thing she could was to avoid putting too much stress on herself.

Tifa turned to her bedside nightstand, and focused on the photo standing under her lampshade.

'_How long has it been?'_ She thought before she turned on her side. Indeed, Tifa couldn't remember how it had been since she had heard the genuine sounds of happiness within the bar.

But that didn't stop her; she knew that one day she'd be able to hear it again and soon.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mama!" <em>

_Tifa turned her to the main entrance of the bar, just seconds before he four-year-old son burst in. She smiled as she looked over at him. Solas eagerly climbed on the bar stool to give her a kiss on the cheek._

"_Did you have a good time?" She asked. Solas nodded hastily. _

_An additional set of footsteps appeared, and Tifa once again turned towards the entrance of her bar. "Papa can we see the carnival tonight?" Solas begged. Cloud turned to Tifa. A small smile appeared on her lips, he already knew her answer. _

_She nodded and Cloud turned back to Solas, "It's alright with your mother, so it's fine with me." _

_Solas immediately beamed happily before he hopped off. The little boy rushed to his father, and hugged his leg. _

_Cloud hesitantly placed his hand on the top of his son's head, before he ruffled the young child's hair. _

"_Love you Papa." Solas replied. "Yeah…me too." Cloud replied. _

Cloud remembered that night very well. It was a night that he would never forget. It was one of the most enjoyable moments in his life. Those were one of the times when he felt that he truly belonged somewhere, and he had a reason to kept on going. Not only that, but he was happy just as he had been on the day Solas had been born.

Solas, Denzel, Marlene and Tifa. They were the people he would make sure to protect with his own life.

Something caught his eye. He looked up and saw a small object dancing in the sky towards the spot he sat on.

He reached out, and grasped it, and then he spread out his fingers and looked down.

It was a white petal. Cloud immediately closed his eyes as the sea breeze blew in. Everything felt lighter, as if a gentle wave touched him and washed away all his troubles. In that moment he got the sense that he would be home soon.

* * *

><p>A trial.<p>

The WRO were working on an experimental treatment to rid Cloud of his degeneration. The news brought shock to almost everyone in the bar that day. But it was true. The form that Tifa held in her hand was the very proof of that.

There was a catch; the WRO needed a human test subject and Cloud's approval. No. She knew that Cloud wouldn't approve of this and neither would she. There wasn't anyway possible that the both of them would ever consent to this. No matter what the risk.

Tifa shook her head and gave the document back to Vincent. She was sorry, and appreciative of the WRO's efforts but it wasn't how it was supposed to be. Marlene laid her hand on Tifa's shoulder as she turned to her worriedly.

Shelke grabbed the document and held on to it. She turned to Tifa and said, "Do not make the decisions until you are sure this is what he wants."

Shelke was right, deep down Tifa didn't even know if Cloud would even agree to the testing. But she would, all of them would. The last thing that the Planet needed was for the past to repeat itself.

Tifa stretched her hand out to Shelke. The young girl gave the paper to her.

She held the paper close to her, and Thanked Vincent for delivering the news. Marlene pulled away and led him out of the bar.

So many thoughts raced through her head. Most of those thoughts were memories she didn't want to remember. Tifa pushed the memories away and looked down at the paper in her hand.

She had read it thoroughly, and she knew that the trial had risks, and those were dangers that she could take.

The paper crumpled in her fingers as she tightened her hold on it. A decision was made, and she told herself this next step was nothing compared to anything that Cloud had endured.

'_He's been through worst.'_ She told herself.

* * *

><p><em>Walking. He had to keep walking. It was an instinct that was pulling him. It was a drive that he couldn't ignore. Cloud knew just beyond the road, he would soon be back in Edge City.<em>

_The terrain would prove to be a challenge for him to cross with all the trees and the grasslands. Although it didn't matter, going home was his mindset and he would make sure he'd reach his destination. _

_He found replenishing strength slowly circulating inside him. _

_Tifa found herself unable to sleep that night; something inside her wouldn't allow her physical being to receive that luxury just yet. Something called out to her._

_She slowly sat up and turned to the photograph next to her. Her hand automatically reached out and her fingers traced the figure of one man standing in middle ground._

_Her heart fluttered, and she got a sense of his impending arrival._

_There was no explaining the next urge she got. She __**had **__to go outside. Tifa got up and walked across the room towards her door._

_Tifa shivered once her bare feet touched the icy cold pavement in front of her bar. She took a breath. She turned left and then right, searching for someone._

_Something compelled to walk on to the right. Left, right, left, right. She kept on going till she reached the square._

_There was something moving in the distance. Tifa squinted her eyes as the figure spotted her. The person stopped and stared at her before he or she continued on approaching her. _

_Tifa gripped the front part of her sleeping clothes._

_Moments later she clamped her hand over her mouth. She slowly took a step forth, walking faster and faster towards the man coming to her. _

_He stopped and stood there as she came near him. Tifa reached out and touched his cheek with her fingertips. _

_He stared at her with Mako-infused blue eyes and said two simple words, "I'm home." Tifa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She replied, "Welcome back."_

_Cloud slowly closed his eyes as he held on to her shoulders. He was home. He was home._

* * *

><p>Tifa reached out towards the ceiling, stretching out her fingers as if she wanted to grasp it. Soon another hand intertwined with hers. She bent her fingers, and lowered down their hands.<p>

Tifa laid her head against his shoulder and asked, "When will you be leaving again?" She felt his grip tighten, and that was it. She turned her head to stare at him.

He looked up at the ceiling, "I'll leave once my strength returns, and this time might be my last."

Tifa closed her eyes. "No." She said.

Cloud looked down at her. She opened her eyes and turned to him before she shook her head.

"Vincent came to see me earlier today."

She knew it was the right time for her to say it, so she told him everything from the WRO proposal to trial, and the form she had yet to sign.

And she already decided that she would be the one to test the trial––

"Tifa, don't sign it. This is my problem and I don't want you involved."

She objected, "This is my problem too, Cloud. No matter what the circumstance." Tifa sat up and pulled her hand away from his. She pulled her knees and wrapped her arms around them.

"We've been through so much, and we've always helped each other out."

She wasn't asking him to agree simply because she was an old friend, no she wanted this, because he was her, and she was he. They weren't simply 'Tifa' or 'Cloud' anymore. Not when they here.

"If you are leaving again, then please at least give me something else I can remember you by."

He held her hand and shook his head. "I don't want you to get hurt." Tifa looked deeply into his eyes and simply responded, "And I don't want the same thing to happen to you…but it has."

She turned her hand around, and held on to his. "You're hurt, and you don't have anyone to turn to who understands what you're going through." Cloud couldn't speak, no his mind would not even find the words to protest or even beg her to consider the decision she's made.

"It does hurt to see you like this."

He sympathized with her, he knew how hard it was for her, and he didn't want to make any harder than it already is. He couldn't do that to her. Cloud reached out and grasped her shoulder.

"Do you really want to do this?" Tifa turned to him and nodded without hesitation. He turned away and glanced at the floor. She placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her.

"Being able to understand the person you care about the most is the greatest gift anyone could possibly exchange." Tifa laid her hand with his, and closed her eyes. Cloud slowly pulled his hand out from under hers, and automatically interlocked their fingers together.

She looked down and then back up. Her eyes locked with his, reading what he wanted to say. She gave a nod of approval before bringing out one of her sincere smiles.

He pressed his left hand to the side of her face; she placed her left hand on top of his, and opened her eyes.

Tifa laid her head on his shoulder. Cloud held her other hand, and brought it down to the mattress.

He slowly turned her over so her back would lie against the matteress. At this moment, there wasn't a world, no, they forgot about the world and everything around them. They only saw each other.

Two bodies and souls ready to bond within their sacred act that would join them as one. And by doing so, they would have created a memory within themselves that would unknowingly last an entire lifetime within the Planet.

In this night, he would not just see her as 'Tifa' but he would see her as the woman he started a life with. And she would not only see him as 'Cloud', but as a person that she would have given everything for.

He squeezed her hand, and then stopped to lay his fingers upon hers. Her hand grasped his. Seconds later both their hands loosened, and then intertwined.

The both of the laid next to one another, still holding to their hands as the sun slowly began to rise and shined its light against their bare shoulders. Tifa turned towards the window, watching the light shine it's rays from the city buildings.

"Another day ends and a new one begins." She whispered. Cloud stared out the window and closed his eyes. Tifa closed her eyes as well.

Today would be the day.

Tifa laid her head against the crook of his neck and looked at their adjoined hands.

Cloud spoke, "You've been by my side for all this time." Tifa looked up at him. He continued as he turned to her, "Now it's my turn to stand by you." She smiled wholeheartedly.

* * *

><p>[Author's note]<p>

Sorry for the looooong update! But as I mentioned before, I had no idea when this chapter would be uploaded! Well we're getting closer and closer to the end of From You, there are only two chapters left followed by a short epilogue.

That's all for now, please look out for **Chapter VI: Thoughts and Dreams**

~_SAga4000_


	7. Chapter VI: Thoughts and Dreams

Chapter VI:

Thoughts and Dreams

* * *

><p><em><strong>BRAK!<strong>_ Splinters and slabs of wood flew all over the place within the training hall. Solas immediately turned around and spun his leg in the air, aiming for the test dummy swinging right towards him.

His foot made contact with the object, and the force of his kick sent it flying to the other side of the hall. He straightened up and turned to Zangan.

He announced to his master with his deepening voice, "I'm going to get dinner ready."

"Solas." Zangan called him, stopping the fifteen-year-old teenager in his tracks. "I have taught you everything, there isn't anything left for me to teach you."

Solas turned back around with a determined look on his face as he stated, "I want you to teach me the Final Heaven. I want to know her will."

Zangan remained silent and shook his head. Tifa's will power wasn't something that she gained from learning that fighting technique, it wasn't a lesson that he could teach. No, having will is something that he should discover for himself, if the boy was anything like his mother.

It became clear that Solas wasn't anything like his mother; in fact he was almost the polar opposite. The young man was strong, but too emotional. You could see it in his expression.

However, three years of training allowed the lad to control that aspect of his personality.

He was driven by his stubbornness to prove people wrong; that was another trait Tifa didn't have. No…she would accept herself for who she was.

Zangan said to him, "I know what you're really after, and I can say this. You won't find what you're looking for in this place."

"You said you'd teach me whatever I asked." Solas remarked. He turned away in disappointment, but he knew his Master was telling him the truth. Unfortunately he didn't feel that it was the right time for him to return home.

'_She's probably waiting for him. Just as she always has been.'_

"I'm not going back." Solas declared as he turned to his Master. "I can't go back not now. Not until I learn the Final Heaven."

Zangan closed his eyes and sighed. The old man slowly got up from his post and walked over to the boy.

Solas narrowed his eyes at his Master in a serious manner. There was no way he was going to back down, not when he came this far. Once he learned that move, then he will leave this place to go wherever he felt like going.

Right now that was his goal, he wanted to be a better person than his mother, **no matter what the cost**. Then and only then will he be satisfied, and the first step he would have to take is to understand her strength.

* * *

><p>Tifa slowly opened her eyes to her sunlit room. There was a presence beside that complied her to turn to the right. "Hey there Tifa." Yuffie greeted. Tifa smiled and replied, "Hey Yuffie."<p>

The thirty-five-year old Ninja could only muster a small grin as she looked upon her old friend.

She wasn't the same Tifa she remembered. Her face was pale and bits of her hair had developed silvery streaks. That wasn't all, she was weak and often became ill, although she always managed to make it to a full recovery.

But what did that matter? Tifa was one of her good friends; she couldn't even begin to think that she of all people would do this to herself.

"Is something wrong?" Tifa asked snapping the woman out of her thoughts. Yuffie shook her head before she looked down at her.

"I got you something." Yuffie announced with the usual cheerful tone in her voice. She reached into her small utility bag, and pulled a small white paper bag, "It's herbal medicine, all you gotta do is mix it with water."

Tifa took the small bag before she gave Yuffie a look of gratitude. "I got one for Cloud too. You know for him to drink whenever he comes back." She added.

A soft smile came to Tifa's lips as Yuffie mentioned him.

"Hey if there's anything I can do to make you feel better then just tell me alright!" She offered.

"Thank you Yuffie, that means a lot to me." Tifa replied as she turned towards the window.

Yuffie stood up and stared at the sunset as well. Tifa closed her eyes as she clutched the item the ninja had given her.

* * *

><p>Vincent slowly darted his eyes towards the door as Yuffie stepped outside before she leaned against the framework. She whispered, "She looks so weak." Vincent folded his arms and said, "She knew the risks, the best thing you can do is honor her decision."<p>

She knew he was right, Tifa made this choice out of her own free will.

There had to be something else that she could do to give the woman some more energy. There had to be another reason to motivate Tifa to fight harder.

"Where's her kid?" She suddenly asked. "He's in Wutai." Vincent answered. She blinked twice and added, "You mean he's been right under my nose this whole time?" Vincent didn't utter a single word. And then Yuffie declared,

"We're going to get him."

"We?" Vincent asked. Yuffie nodded before she folded her arms, "For a mother to see her child is one of the wondrous things in the world." Yuffie unconsciously hugged herself.

She closed her eyes as memories brought her back to images of her own mother, and no matter how much Yuffie tried, she couldn't imagine what her mother might have looked like now? Or whether or not she would proud of to see the child she brought into the world.

"How could anyone abandon their mother like this?" She questioned as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Yuffie, if you're going to talk like that, then it's best that you stay here." Vincent stated. She objected, "That's not true, I can go too!"

Vincent shook his head once. Yuffie slowly sighed before she turned back to Tifa's door.

"I just wanted her to…" She paused and stopped there. The tears were already threatening to fall, and she couldn't bear to cry when she was that close to Tifa's bedroom. She clasped her hands together tightly while she closed her eyes.

"I understand how you feel, but pitying her won't do anything." Vincent simply stated.

Yuffie opened her eyes and turned around to glance at him for a second, but he was gone. She turned towards Tifa bedroom door and then to the spot where Vincent stood earlier.

She clenched her fist and looked at the staircase, "Vincent wait up I'm coming too!" She shouted as she hurried down the steps, and then she reminded him, "Don't forget to call Cid!"

* * *

><p>Solas sat down on Nibelheim's entrance with a block of wood in one hand and a small knife in the other. He pulled one knee up as he concentrated on his carving. He stopped for a moment and looked up at the moon with his sharp brown eyes.<p>

The luminesces of the moonlight reflected in his eyes, suddenly he saw his mother's image on it's surface.

Anger wielded up inside him and he clenched the unfinished carving in his hand and threw it on the ground before he tossed the knife onto the middle of the wood.

His breathing became hard and labored as the clouds slowly covered the town, shrouding it in darkness as the rain started to pour. Solas got up and turned around to walk away.

Zangan slowly stepped out of his hiding spot and picked up the carving

Solas begrudgingly walked back to the training hall, soaked from his ponytail, white keikogi, dark blue Hakama and ankle length black leather boots. He leaned his head against the door to his room and closed his eyes.

Soon he felt a presence within the hall, and immediately knew who this person was. "You needed distract me didn't you?"

Zangan stepped out of the shadows, and he calmly explained to his newest and last pupil, "I did no such thing, but direct you to the right path by giving you the first step, letting go."

Solas scoffed, "What does 'letting go' have anything to do with this?" He slowly turned around, "What? You tell me…are you saying that I should go back to her? She, the woman whose blood has not only stained her own hands, but mine as well?"

Zangan stared at the boy pitifully as he approached him with one hand raised. With one swift move, he literally tried to knock some sense to the teenager with a strike to cheek.

Solas' eyes widen as he turned to Master while his cheek started to redden, "How long are you going to keep on holding on to that?" His Master asked him.

"How long will you continue to be blinded by your feelings of betrayal to see the truth?" Solas' eyes closed as he turned away with one hand raised to his cheek.

Zangan continued to press him, "Why do you think that your mother didn't stop you even when you deceived her as well?"

"She's a killer, and so my father! No amount of love she gave can ever wash away the curse she placed upon me!" Solas cried.

"There was never a curse to began with." Zangan finally told him, "This so called 'curse' started with her, and it will end with her. You, her child, have nothing to do with it."

Solas' eyes shot open as he turned to his teacher. Zangan continued sensing that he was at last getting through to the boy, "She not only bears her own suffering or your father's. But yours as well. And she will continue to do so till the end of her life."

"You're lying…" Solas declared as he stared down at wooden floorboard, "The only person she suffers for is my father. Not anyone else."

"Remember this saying, **(1) **'Embrace nothing: If you meet your parents, kill your parents. If you meet your ancestors, kill your ancestors. Only live your life as it is. Not bound to anything.' Do not forget that you have your own legacy to continue."

Solas' eyes widen as he turned to Zangan. The old man was gone; presumably back to his own quarters.

* * *

><p>"There it is!" Yuffie shouted as she looked out the window of the Bronco. "Alright, I'm landin' now!" Cid announced, "So ya'll better strap yourselves!"<p>

Yuffie buckled up her seatbelt; as did Vincent as Cid maneuvered the aircraft to the right, then to the left trying to keep it steady before descending to the small desolate town.

"Huh?" Solas saw what appeared to be headlights coming through the small holes through the roof. He stood up with one eyebrow raised out of curiosity as he slid the open the shoji doors of the training hall.

A blast of wind burst in, and Solas had to grip wooden frame tightly to prevent himself from being blown to the wall behind him.

The villagers immediately left their houses and rushed out to the square. Solas forced himself to withstand the gust of wind as he made his way towards the square.

"There he is!" Yuffie pointed to a single figure in the crowd. "How the hell do you even know if it's him?!" Cid questioned. "Woman's intuition, besides he even looks so similar to Tifa—"

"Land now Cid." Vincent ordered. The pilot nodded and proceeded to descend.

* * *

><p>Solas slowly moved back as the metal body of the craft touched the ground. The hatch opened, and the three strangers stepped out. Solas' eyes widen as he focused intensely on the female of the group.<p>

He'd recognized her from eight years ago, the ninja woman who came to his seventh birthday, his mother's friend, Yuffie Kisaragi.

"I'm not going back." Solas declared as he sat crossed legged in front of the three guests. Yuffie retorted in shock, "But we came all this way—"

"For naught. I don't associate with murderers like her nor you." He cut her off, his tone of voice sharper than a blade.

Yuffie slammed her fist on the ground, "She's your mother!"

"That's the past! It doesn't mean anything to me anymore." Solas closed his eyes for a moment.

Yuffie stared at him in disbelief as the following sentence passed his lips, "You three are just going to waste your breaths trying to convince me otherwise." Vincent stood up, "There's no point in talking. He's already made up his mind." Yuffie turned to him in surprise.

Cid took a long inhale of his cigarette, and slowly got up, "Well that was a waste of effort."

She switched her gaze between Vincent and Cid to Solas, before she sighed and finally she stood up.

"Next time you see that bitch tell her I don't want anything to do with her." Solas stated. Cid and Yuffie whirled around, "What did you call her!?" Yuffie demanded as she clenched her fist.

"B-I-T-C—" A fist slammed right across the teenager's face, with such momentum it sent him flying to the wall. Solas grunted as he forced himself to stand up, he only made it about half way before he huddled over on the floor.

"You can do what you want, you can think anyway you want. But don't you ever turn your back on the woman who brought you here today." Vincent spoke out; his voice calm as ever. "Never abandon the woman who had always be there to tend to your every need, heal you when you're sick or injured. The woman who asks for nothing but a smile in your heart."

Solas looked back at him, "And you, there's nothing more sickening that a boy who'd turn his back against his ill mother, who'd go through hell and back if the price was your happiness." Vincent slowly stood up, and Solas did too soon after.

"What do you mean 'ill'?" The teenager dared asked, wiping the blood from his lip. Vincent turned his head back slightly and gazed upon Solas' look of utter shock. "If you wish to know, then you can come with us and find out."

A voice belonging to someone from long ago came to his mind,

"_Don't forget; never let the darkness take you over. Stay on the path of light. And never lose sight of who you are." _

Then another voice entered, only this time it was a female. _"That's what your means doesn't. 'Light' you don't have to carry the heavy burden that your parents did before you. Hmmm…Dilly-Dally, Silly-Sally, learn to let go!" _ The woman sounded familiar to him, and yet he's never heard her before, at least…not in this life.

"So what do you say?" Yuffie asked as she stretched out her hand to him. Solas looked up at her and slowly reached for her hand. She grinned and wrapped her fingers around his hand.

* * *

><p>Tifa slowly turned her head to the side, sensing another presence beside her. Much to her surprise and her joy, she was looking up at the eyes of her child. "Solas." She said his name breathlessly as she moved her hand towards his from under the blanket.<p>

Solas slowly held her hand in his the very moment her fingers peeked out from under the covers, "I'm here mom." He replied. "You've grown a lot." She said with a smile. Solas nodded slowly before giving her his smile in return.

"Welcome home." She finally said. Solas squeezed her hand and stated, "It's good to be back."

He put on a brave face for his mother's sake, but deep down it sadden him to see her in such a state.

"The yearly festival's almost here, I want you to get well again so we all can see it together. You, me, Denzel, Shelke and Marlene."

Tifa nodded. Solas secretly clenched his left hand into a fist so tightly that his knuckle turned white.

* * *

><p>"You weren't kidding when you said she was sick." Solas stated. Vincent slowly lifted his head up and told him, "I don't 'kid' around situations like this."<p>

Solas turned his gaze to the floor, "My father is still ill isn't he?" Vincent remained silent, and Solas closed his eyes knowing the indirect answer. He pressed his fingers against the cloth covering his kneecaps as his eyes furrowed furiously.

"Where is he now?" Solas asked. "No one knows. Your mother was the last person to have seen him." Vincent answered.

"Good…maybe now he can stay out of our lives." Solas muttered.

"Is that what you really want?" He asked the boy. Solas nodded without a moment's hesitation then he replied, "It might be the best thing for my mother right now."

There was look in his eyes that Vincent could not decipher. However he could sense that Solas meant those words down to the very core of his whole being. "You said your name was Vincent, right? What illness do my father and my mother have?" Solas asked.

"Degradation…or at least some minor form of it." Vincent answered, "From what I gathered, both Cloud and Tifa have only shown two out of the four possible symptoms."

"So there are only two more symptoms left?" Solas guessed. Vincent nodded slowly.

"I don't know if it'll ever show up or if your parents are fighting it."

Solas turned away and stated, "It seems like they're always fighting…my mother with her loneliness. And my father…I couldn't care less about his battles."

Vincent stared at the boy, and only saw the anger that resided within him. That rage has subsided to some degree, however it will still keep the truth from him.

Though, Vincent sympathized with Solas. He didn't agree with the fact that a child should bear such ill feelings towards his father, unless he truly deserved it.

"How did my mother end up this way?" Solas asked. Vincent took silent deep breath, and answered, "She agreed to allow herself to test the trial cures that the WRO developed for your father's degradation. Unfortunately, it would seem that this cure is a failure."

"So, I see...looks like my mom's fighting my father's battles too." Solas stated. Vincent simply turned to the boy and replied, "So it appears." The two of them stayed there, in silence all through out the night.

* * *

><p>[Author's Note]<p>

I do apologize for the extremely long wait, unfortunately I was going through a really rough time in real life that literally took away the chance to work on this.

Anyway, thank you to the readers who've waited for this, I really appreciate it.

**(1) **Right, so the quote that Zangan stated is taken from a Buddhist founder named : Línjì Yìxuán.

And believe or not, I think it suited the situation very well given the fact that Solas has trouble letting things go.

Just a heads up, I don't know how long it'll take me to write the next chapter. As I mentioned before I'm going through a rough time right now, (and I will not go into detail)

Okay so that's it for the author's note,

Please look out for Chapter VII: Reason! -Whenever it comes out- (=_=')


	8. Chapter VII: Reason

Chapter VII: Reason

* * *

><p>The night was quiet. Too quiet for Solas' liking. The teenager sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall of his parents' room. The moonlight shined on his face, giving a certain saint glow as his eyes slowly started to shift uncomfortable.<p>

He stared up at the ceiling and slowly turned to his mother, watching her intently as she grew each ragged soft breath that came and left her lungs. He then turned his head back to the floor and sighed.

The bed shifted and he immediately turned back to the spot, "So you finally decided to wake up?" He said amusedly to this mother.

Tifa's face turned to shock as she slowly moved her head towards the direction of her biological son. Solas' expression immediately turned serious as he looked away from his mother.

"Zangan told me about your past…both yours and dad's." He confessed. Tifa casted her eyes towards the floor as she abruptly replied, "Solas I can explain—"

"Mom, I couldn't care less about why you did it…that's past now." He stated as he subsequently closed his eyes. "The important thing is that you don't lose your will fight. Ever."

Tifa's eyes widen as she stared at her son. Solas slowly opened his eyes, "I may never understand why would you go through great lengths for one man…but whatever the reason, don't lose it."

She almost couldn't believe the words he was saying, had he finally learned to forgive— "Don't think that I'm going let him off easy…I'm doing this for you, **not** him."

Tifa's voice stopped midway up her throat, then she looked away. Somehow she wasn't that surprised and yet she was shocked to know that her son's feelings of animosity ran that deep.

Solas turned towards her, and immediately knew what she was thinking, and in return she knew what he was thinking.

Silence came once again.

* * *

><p>"Solas!" He turned around to see who called his name, and a young woman with short brown spiky hair ran up to him, her hazel eyes lit up with glee as she walked over to greet her childhood friend.<p>

He raised an eyebrow to the teenager and asked, "And you are?" She blinked twice in surprise. Solas' eyebrows furrowed in impatience, "If you're not going to introduce yourself, then I'm going to leave."

"No wait!"'

He stopped only after taking two steps and turned around once again, "It's me, Jiwah." Solas' furrowed his eyebrows again and he scowled for a few seconds before his expression changed to that of astonishment.

The image of a pudgy, young talkative, temperamental little girl; who would beat those that dared teased her; slowly started to fade away as he started at the now smiling young woman in front him.

"Ah! Do you remember now?" Jiwah asked him excitedly. "…" Solas narrowed his eyes and then he quickly turned around to leave the scene. Much to his chagrin Jiwah followed around asking him questions, questions and more questions. All the while quite a few bystanders were staring at them.

* * *

><p>Tifa chuckled after hearing Solas' story about the 'reunion' he had with one of his childhood 'friends'. "She even walked with me to the store, and chatted away nonstop." Solas sighed irritably.<p>

"You know Jiwah has always admired you from afar."

He snorted, "Whatever." Tifa shook her head before she scolded him lightly, "You could at least try and sound happy that you have an admirer."

"And then what? I like her back and she becomes my girlfriend, later fiancée and we get married, have children?" He scoffed, "yeah that sounds great…especially since I've _**learnt **_a lot from my father." He saw the look on his mother's face and sighed, "I know you two been through so many things when you were my age."

Disappointment secretly filled Tifa's heart after she heard that. But what could she expect? She had already explained to him that his father had left to protect them both. Of course the years of anger and resentment will blind him from truly seeing that fact.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." Tifa told him. Solas turned to the side, and sighed. "I know you didn't." He replied.

"If anyone should apologize it's me." Solas told her as he turned back to face her. Tifa eyes dart back and forth in confusion.

"Leaving three years ago certainly didn't make it easier for you." He paused for three seconds and then continued, "Not after what you've been through." He stated, "Zangan, he told me everything, about Shin-Ra, your past in Nibelheim, and Sephiroth."

The secret was out.

Tifa turned her head towards her son and with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She waited for him to say anything, but Solas remained silent. Tifa slowly looked away and closed her eyes.

Suddenly she felt a lightweight on her shoulders. Her hands reached up, there was a soft smooth cloth that hung around her. She lifted her head and turned around behind her.

Solas had wrapped his arms around her. Tifa embraced him, and brushed her fingers through her son's shoulder length hair. She didn't realize how much she'd miss doing this during his three-year absence.

* * *

><p>"To Solas!" Marlene, Tifa, Shelke and the guest of honor all clinked all their glasses together and drank. Solas smiled slightly as he stared down at his glass of local soda before he spun the cup a bit.<p>

He looked up at his mother, and smiled. For a moment she seemed like her old self again.

Tifa was chitchatting with Marlene when she heard Solas slam his glass on the ground. Shocked by his sudden reaction, she turned to him worriedly. Her 'little' boy had the same distance look as Cloud did all those years ago, as if he were trying to hide something from her.

He stood up, and turned around to walk out of the barroom. Echoes of the past rang again, as memories from a different time played back in his mother's mind of a certain someone performing the same things her son was doing now.

Tifa stood up as well, and followed him out.

* * *

><p>Solas sat down on the pavement in front of the bar. His knees were up to his chest and his arms tucked in front as his brown eyes stared down on to the concrete. He felt a jacket being wrapped on his shoulders.<p>

He turned around and honestly thought to see his mother standing there. Real identity of the person who stood behind him would come as a shock.

A pair of blue eyes stared down, onto his brown eyes. Solas' stared at the man with wide-eyes. He couldn't actually see who the man was, due to the overused hooded brown cape and mask. But the teenager was sure he saw a strand of blond hair that escaped from it's hooded prison.

"What do you want?" He asked the man bitterly. "I came to say goodbye." He replied.

"That's certainly _**surprising**_ isn't it?" Solas replied with angered sarcasm. The teenager had enough with his old man's games. He stood up and pushed him away,

"Don't touch me! Don't talk to me! Never come back do you hear me!? Stay away from me and my mother because you **don't deserve us!**"

Cloud slowly lowered his hand away.

"I never said I deserved you or your mother…I'm not going make excuses." He explained. "I wanted to leave her something, to let her know that I'm going to be alright, but—"

"—I'm going to be gone for a while." Solas cut his father off, knowing full well what he wanted to say.

Cloud's Mako induced blue eyes stared at him with so much guilt and remorse. He would turn back time and change everything in a split second if he could. But he couldn't want was done was done. He wasn't asking for forgiveness, he wasn't begging to be let off the hook.

He never wanted to leave in the first place. He never imagined that he would leave behind one of the most precious people that ever came to his life.

"Why can't you make up your mind?" Solas snapped as he turned around to face him, "You made your choice now you have to live with it like everybody else in this world."

Cloud saw all the hurt and anger in his son's eyes. It was like looking at Tifa moments after she learnt Sephiroth killed her father and burnt their homeland. All the shock, confusion, and betrayal that she must've felt.

Now, Cloud was witnessing the same type of animosity in person, not through Tifa herself, but through their son. It did hurt him, however Cloud already knew Solas was hurting more.

He took a step forward. Solas took a step backward warning him, "Don't you dare come near me."

* * *

><p>Tifa stood in the doorway, watching the scene unfold before her. Part of her wanted to intervene, but another part of her knew that it was best to wait and see what would take place.<p>

Solas kept moving back as his father continued to approach him. The teenager's hand clenched into a tight fist as he kept walking backwards. After ten paces, he was trapped, his back pressed firmly against the wall of another shop across the street from the 7th Heaven bar.

Cloud placed his hand on top of Solas' head, "I'm not saying it's wrong for you to be upset. If you are, then I understand. I'm sorry for everything that's happened." Solas raised his fist and brought it close to his father's face but stopped just mere millimeters in front of his nose. Cloud closed his eyes for a second before he stared up at his son again, "I'm sorry Solas if you had a hard life…if you don't want to forgive me that's all right. I'll understand."

The teenager lowered his arm, and he stood there shaking both in anger and frustration. His father was right here. His father was right here and something stopped him from delivering the punch.

Solas slowly slid to the ground. Cloud looked down at him.

Solas still felt the black, two single white striped jacket around his shoulders. His fingers reached for the collar, then with such tremendous force the teenager threw the jacket to his father's feet.

Thunder roared and the lightning started to flash. The rain started to pour, first starting out like teardrops from the sky, before becoming the shower of sadness that covered the whole city.

Solas looked down on the ground unable to stand the sight of his father who stood above him. Cloud knelt down on the ground and picked up the rain soaked jacket.

"I don't want your pity…" Solas replied almost inaudible. Cloud nodded slowly.

"Cloud…Solas, come inside." Tifa told them both. "If he's going to come in then, I rather stay out here." Solas declared. "You don't have to chose." Cloud told her as he looked down at the jacket in his hands. He walked over to Tifa, and handed it to her. "I'm the one who's going to leave."

"Good riddance." Solas replied. Tifa watched as Cloud turned around to walk off towards the rain. Solas slowly stood up and turned around to walk the opposite direction of his father.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed. Solas turned around in automatic respond and saw his father on his knees while clutching an old wound he had. His mother immediately tried to rush towards him as fast as she could, but Solas beat her to it.

He lifted his father's arm to his shoulder and helped him up. He shifted most of his father's weight on himself.

The smell of iron and rainwater traveled up to the teenager's nose as he led his father back into the bar.

"Solas—"

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my mom." Solas cut his father off. Tifa stood three feet away from the bar's entrance as her son brought his father inside the building.

Shelke and Marlene tended to Cloud's injury quickly. Solas stood in the doorway, with his head turned away. Meanwhile Tifa couldn't bring herself to turn a blind eye. All she could was stand and watch.

Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Cloud just laid there with his eyes closed. He didn't wince even when Marlene stitched up his opened wound nor when poured very powerful antiseptic. He remained still and silent, as if he _couldn't_ feel any pain.

As if he wasn't there.

Shelke and Marlene made way as Tifa started to approach him. She knelt beside him. Now she could see what was wrong. His skin color kept changing from gray back to his normal pigment. His hair as well, it kept changing from silver back to blond every few seconds.

"You're fighting…just as you've always have…" Tifa spoke to him, knowing full well that she wouldn't get a respond.

* * *

><p>"Looks like there's nothing wrong with him, physically." One WRO medical examiner explained to them, a day after Cloud's sudden coma. "But his brainwave activity is highly erratic."<p>

Tifa turned to glance at Cloud who laid inside a WRO medical tank. Reeve stood beside it, checking his vitals every few minutes or so as if he waited for a miracle to come.

Solas stayed with his mother, leaning against the wall towards the far right corner inside the examiner's office.

He had abandoned his gi and training clothes and wore a combination of Denzel's old clothes; a a white undershirt, loose beige pants and black sneakers and all too familiar black jacket draped around his shoulders. He had his hands in his pockets as he continued to stare down the ground.

He had an unreadable expression on his face.

The door opened, and Reeve finally stepped inside. Tifa slowly stood up, and saw the look on his face.

"It would appear that he is fighting, just as you said." Reeve replied. Solas straightened up and walked out. Tifa turned to her son and just watched as he left the office.

His short ponytail swayed from side to side, till he came to a stop in front of his father's medical tank.

He looked down at his father's from and witnessed the 'fight' for himself.

His mother was right, there were two forces within his father's body. One was his original self and the other, was the invader that came in the form of degradation. Solas' lowered his head.

"Reeve told me everything…mom told me everything…I guess I understand a little now. Dad, I know you had a good reason."

Solas had his answers to so many of the questions he'd repressed inside for years, and it all came from the one person he once never wanted to meet again. Now he knew his father actually left to protect his family from himself.

"You couldn't stay away forever could you? All those times you came back, you were fighting to keep yourself together for us, weren't you?" Solas already knew the answer to that, but he still felt the need to say it.

"Don't give up dad…I might not need you that much anymore, but mom still needs you. Be there for her, the way you couldn't be there for me."

Solas closed his eyes the moment he felt a tear that threatened to fall. One managed to slip out from under his eyelid, and fall to the ground.

It splattered, and glowed into a golden light. The flash temporarily blinded Solas' eyes. A symbolic circle containing letters that ranged from ancient Hebrew to several letters from the Phoenician alphabet appeared from under Solas' feet.

A gust of wind appeared from nowhere and blew the teenager to the wall. Solas winced the back of his head made contact with the concrete and raised his arm in a defense position as the glow became brighter and brighter. Tifa opened her eyes, after hearing her son slam against the wall. She turned her eyes to the spot, there was a hole on the area where Solas' head made impact.

He winced, fought to stay awake all the while he ignore the pain and couldn't feel the blood trickling down his forehead.

Solas laid flat stomach first on the ground and crawled his way towards the spot where the symbol stopped. Right under his father's medical tank.

Once the time was right, he stood up and forced his way towards the light.

Reeve placed his hand firmly on Tifa's shoulder to keep her from being blown away as he watched Solas approached the epicenter of the light source.

"Solas! Don't go near it, you don't know what'll happen!" Reeve warned the boy. But the teenager kept going.

Solas told himself that he was so close, and without warning flashes of memories started to resurface in his mind, only they didn't belong to him.

"_You want to be a hero you need to have dreams. And honor." _ The speed and intensity of the images were so great, that Solas got down on his knees again, with his hands pressed firmly against each side of his head. It felt like millions of nails were penetrating his skull. He cried out in pain as his eyes started flashing from brown to blue.

He hunched down to the floor, and screamed as one white wing ripped out from his right shoulder blade.

"Solas! Cloud!" Tifa screamed, as the wind appeared to have gotten stronger. Both Reeve and Tifa watched as Cloud's tank started crack, then the glass shattered everywhere.

"No! You can't take him!"

Tifa turned to Solas with wide eyes, the voice that came out wasn't his. It belonged to someone else. She didn't recognize the voice.

Solas stood up and held his head as his eyes flashed from blue to brown, "What are you doing to me?!" He asked whoever was trying to use his body to communicate. Then it flashed to blue and stayed that way for a few minutes.

"Genesis keep fighting!" That same foreign voice came out of her son again. Tifa turned to where Cloud's body was.

A split second later there came a bright flash, which blinded all of them. Moments later both Cloud and his tank disappeared as if it never existed.

The white wing on Solas' shoulder stretched out, "Well done Genesis." He closed his eyes the wing dispersed into a tornedo of white feathers that flew all over the room. A small groan came from Solas' lips as the teenager collapsed to the ground.

Tifa immediately rushed to his side, and knelt beside him with one hand placed on the back of his head.

"I'll never…" Solas started mumbling. Tifa sighed in relief at the very moment she heard his own voice coming out. "…Give in to the darkness, dad." She caressed his hair with her thumb, and immediately stopped to take a look at her hand. Traces of the gray pigmentations were gone, and instead her skin color was back to normal.

She took hold of several strands of hair, and brought lifted it in to her eye level. Her silver streaks had disappeared as well. Soon she felt her energy coming back to her.

Tifa closed her eyes, and took deep breath. Then she lifted her son's other arm on her shoulder. She lifted her unconscious son onto her back, and carried him in piggyback fashion. "I'm going to take him to the hospital." She told Reeve.

Reeve was hesitant, but he caught the look in her eyes. She needed to take care of Solas' first before worrying about Cloud's unexplained disappearance for the time being.

Finally Reeve nodded and even opened the door for her. Tifa thanked him while she rushed out of the examiner's room.

She raced out to the hallway, swimming through the crowds of WRO troops that came straight to the medical wing.

* * *

><p>Tifa sat by her son's bedside for the past three days as he continued to lay unconscious since the events that took place.<p>

'_He looks so peacefully.'_ Tifa thought. It was true, Solas finally looked like he had a peace of mind. It seemed that all his burdens were washed away.

She reached out and placed her hand on his forehead, and then she brushed away his fringed. Suddenly he stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled to first face that came to his eyes. His mother, the first most important person in his life.

"Mom…" He replied. Tifa smiled in relief to hear her son's voice again after three days of eternally waiting. Solas turned his head to the other side of bed, expecting to see someone else there. But there was no one.

"Reeve is still trying to figure out what happened, so far the only thing he knew that the symbol we all saw is a portal." Tifa explained. Solas turned back around to face her, then sat up.

He winced the very moment he did, Tifa slowly pushed him back down on the bed. He cringed for a few seconds, before the pain finally subsided, then he opened his eyes and turned to her.

Images of locations flashed in his mind, and along with the images was the memory of this man with red hair dressed in red leather.

The last image that came to his mind was of the same red haired man again. Solas didn't know why, but he knew that man somehow, even though he'd never him in his life. There was some familiarity to him.

"Genesis Rhapsodos…" He muttered. Tifa stared at him, "What?" She asked. "He was a first class soldier who had degradation as well… He was a friend to Sephiroth and Angeal."

"Genesis…he's the one who has dad." Solas suddenly revealed this information out of nowhere. Tifa eyes widen as he continued. "He thinks dad is Sephiroth clone, and Genesis having take the role as the Planet's protector believes, dad could possibly be a threat."

Tifa's eyes widen at the words that came out of her son's mouth. Solas saw the shock on his mother's face, and then he turned back to stared at the bed sheets. He clutched the white blanket in his hand.

"Whatever the reason, this guy called Genesis has decided to eliminate dad—no to destroy the last reminding link to Sephiroth forever." Solas explained. Then he added purely to comfort his mother, "That is, if dad poses as a threat. I think he's trying to fight to prove himself as well."

He turned to his mother again, and said, "If you want to go outside and take a breather go ahead…I'll be fine here."

Tifa nodded slowly and stood up reluctantly before she walked out of the room. Then she walked down the hall, unaware that another visitor had come to see Solas.

"You're certainly a good actor." Shelke's voice came as she walked into the room. "You almost made me believe that you weren't blind at all."

Solas closed his eyes as he turned to where he heard her voice "My training's sharpen my hearing so I can tell where items or people are without having to see them." He explained. It didn't matter to him if he'd loss his sight in both his eyes, in away it was an advantage now his other senses were stronger.

Shelke decided to test the theory, and lunged her fist at him. Solas blocked it with ease. "How is it possible that you're fighting skills have advanced within less than a decade?" She asked.

"The reason is, fighting is my blood. I got it both from my mother and father. That's how I picked it up so easily the instinct was already naturally bred into me." Solas replied. "And I could hear your fist heading my way." He replied. "Noted." Shelke replied.

"Any new information?" Solas asked. "No, I'm sorry." Shelke replied. Solas nodded slowly. Shelke could already see that he was already at his breaking point, then she stood up and told him, "I'll leave you alone for a few minutes."

"Thanks." He replied waiting till she was out of the room. Shelke turned her head to take one last look at him before disappearing down into the hall.

Solas felt the tears run down his chin, then he hunched forward on the hospital bed, taking this opportunity to come to terms with the loss of his vision and any chances of reconciling his relationship with his father. Suddenly he straightened up. No, he told himself. It wasn't a total loss, he still could find Cloud, wherever he may be. He remembered something that Zangan told him a year on to his training.

'_Master, you told me in order to fight you need to have a reason. Now I've finally found mines. I'll be fighting for the bond my father and I couldn't have…'_

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><p><strong>[Author's note]<strong>

**Don't worry folks, this isn't the last post I'm going to make, as I promised there will be an epilogue to this chapter, so think of Chapter VII as a filler to the beginning of the sequel. :D **

**For all my readers who have stuck with me despite my inconsistant updates, I'd like to thank you all so much, love you guys! Also to give another heads up, my twitter account has been deleted. If you all have any questions, you can send me a PM and I promise to get back right to you as soon as I can. **

**Thanks for sticking with me all this time! You guys are all the best! **

**Peace out! **

**~SAga4000**


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

><p>Today was the 23rd of April…a special day for one teenage boy. Today would mark end of his sixteenth year and the beginning of his seventeenth on the Planet. Solas grunted softly as he sat on the edge of his windowsill. He could hear the rain, but darkness covered his world forever. It didn't matter if he could see it or not, the sound of the water droplets against trailing down the glass always managed to calm him down for some odd reason.<p>

Sometimes he wondered how'd he managed to keep this hidden from his friends and family for the past year? The important thing to him now was, how long would he be able to keep it up?

His mother had enough to worry about. His father's and Genesis' whereabouts were still unknown. Shelke and Reeve from the WRO still wouldn't stop asking him questions, expecting him to answer when he had nothing to give them.

_**Crrreeeeekkkk…**_

Solas turned to the doorway, and sensed his mother walking over towards the windowsill. She sat down beside him, like she did ten years ago. Only this time it was far different.

"How long are you going to stay in here?" She asked him. "Everybody's waiting for you downstairs." She told him. Solas turned to her, and replied, "I'll be down in a minute…I just want sometime alone right now."

Tifa nodded and stood up. She stopped in the doorway, and turned around to face him. "Solas, I know you want to find him, and I know you might be the only one who can…" She paused, trying to muster the courage she had to say the words.

"Go." She replied. "Take as long as you need, but come back to us when you feel the need to." She told him.

Solas felt his own eyes widen as he turned towards the doorway. He got up, and slowly walked over to the doorway. Tifa smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "We'll be back, I promise…" He vowed.

Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck. Soon she started to feel him pull away, and she didn't hold him back. No, she let him go. Solas opened his window, and looked down. He listened to see how long did it take for the water to splatter. Once he confirmed that it was only a short distance he jumped down, and summersault so his legs and head wouldn't damage on impact.

Tifa walked over and closed the windows, before closing her eyes. Although she felt a little sad that her son had left her once again, she was very proud of him too. Despite everything that happened to them in the past. Solas was still her son and her light and that will never change.

_'Being your mother was the greatest give I had from you.'_ She thought, and deep down she knew…those words were true.

* * *

><p><strong>[Author's note]<strong>

Well here it is folks, the (**extremely short**) final part to the story! ('=_=)

I hoped you enjoyed reading 'From You', and to my reviewers: Thank you taking your time to give your critiques and comments on the story! I truly appreciate it, you guys are the best ;)

Now if the birthday thing confuses some people, then allow me to explain. I do believe that a birthday is a celebration to an anniversary of someone's life, therefore today Solas is celebrate end of his sixteenth anniversary (meaning he just turned sixteen, about to turn seventeen) and the beginning of his seventeenth.

Now for a heads up,

I've decided to write the prequel first and then work the sequel. The reason behind this is, to allow people to understand how Cloud and Tifa came to be at that point, as well as give more input on Solas' character. Now I'll try and get the prequel up and running as soon as I can. (No promises though)

Once again, I hope you've enjoyed the fanfic and I hope to see you all again soon!

-SAga4000


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